WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Al Lawson (D-FL-05) in petitioning U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to initiate a Section 301 investigation of fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico, and to secure trade relief for Florida growers.
For more than 20 years, Mexico has leveraged heavy subsidies and low wages in a scheme to conduct a “conquest of external markets” and displace Florida’s seasonal and perishable agricultural industry from the domestic U.S. market.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues on this effort to address Mexico’s unfair trade practices,” said Rep. Cammack. “As the only Florida Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, I’ve seen the way our farmers are suffering from the labor shortages, supply chain issues, and inflationary costs we’ve been experiencing over the past several months, notwithstanding competition from foreign exporters. Our growers in Florida need immediate relief, which is why my colleagues and I are demanding an investigation into Mexico’s export targeting scheme that is directly harming our domestic supply chain.”
“The Biden Administration has affirmed its intention to protect and reinvigorate critical supply chains within the U.S., including agricultural supply chains,” the members wrote. “Mexico’s export targeting scheme, which is affecting U.S.-grown produce during the winter and spring months, is a direct threat to this objective. As this petition discusses, and as various government entities, including the U.S. Trade Representative, have confirmed, seasonal and perishable industries such as Florida’s generally do not enjoy access to trade remedies. The provisions of Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, however, are uniquely suited to investigate Mexico’s trade-distorting practices and policies and provide urgently needed relief to Florida’s growers.”
