Trade Wins

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. USDA Undersecretary for Trade nominee Luke Lindberg is predicting trade wins for farmers, rebuffing repeated attacks by Senate Ag Democrats on the president’s tariffs.

Lindberg says Trump’s tariffs secured trade deals in his first term and will again …

LINDBERG … “My faith is in the fact that we are going to get better deals for farmers, and that’s what he’s tasked me to do. And I think, through those deals, there will be a boon to our farming economy.”

Lindberg says new trade deals are on the horizon …

LINDBERG … “I look forward to the boon that will come to our family farms when we get those trade deals signed in the not-too-distant future. The president has also made it very clear through a post he put out on social media that he will have the farmers’ backs should there be a need for that at that time. I believe that will not be necessary at this moment. But certainly, I will follow the president’s direction that, should that be needed in the future, we’ll be there to support them.”

Lindberg says he’ll work to open new markets and fight non-tariff barriers, arguing the U.S. needs to correct past mistakes …

LINDBERG … “For too long, we’ve let other countries access our market and not negotiated reciprocal access to theirs. America has not lost our competitive edge in producing food, fuel, and fiber. We’ve merely abdicated our leadership role in feeding the world by allowing others to rig the system against us.”

Lindberg cited India and the EU as ripe targets for trade deals, while new reports out of China hint some willingness to negotiate down President Trump’s biggest tariffs.