Heitkamp Continues to Regularly Advocate for North Dakota’s Ag, Manufacturing Priorities with Lighthizer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today spoke with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and pressed him to protect North Dakota’s agriculture and manufacturing sectors as the administration considers imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and continues to participate in NAFTA renegotiations with Canada and Mexico.

During their phone call, Heitkamp underscored the importance of exporting to the bottom lines of North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and workers. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, North Dakota is the ninth largest agriculture exporting state in the country, with $5.3 billion in goods exported worldwide in 2017.  

“Guaranteeing that North Dakota farmers and ranchers have fair access to foreign markets is one of my top priorities– especially when 95 percent of potential consumers live beyond our borders,” said Heitkamp. “The trade uncertainty caused by potential Chinese tariffs, U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel, and NAFTA talks is already making North Dakota producers nervous, especially as farmers are making difficult decisions about planting season. I have repeatedly urged USTR Lighthizer to recognize the harmful repercussions that misguided tariffs would have on our state. We must hold China accountable and use trade enforcement to our advantage, but those at the table shouldn’t gamble with the livelihoods of farm families. I won’t stand for our farmers and ranchers being shut out from critical foreign markets, and I’ll keep fighting for the ability of our rural communities to survive and thrive.”

Heitkamp has continued to work with Lighthizer to try to preserve and expand North Dakota’s agriculture, energy, and manufacturing trade relationships, and speaks with him regularly about the administration’s trade policies. Last year, Heitkamp secured a commitment from Lighthizer to protect agriculture in any NAFTA renegotiation, particularly  as North Dakota farmers faced drought and low commodity prices. And in a January meeting with Lighthizer, she outlined her agenda to stabilize agriculture markets, protect exporters, preserve critical cattle and beef markets, and build new trade relationships abroad.

Today’s call with Lighthizer continues Heitkamp’s push against the administration’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods and potential Chinese tariffs on American agricultural products like soybeans. After the administration announced an additional proposed $100 billion in tariffs against Chinese imports earlier this month, Heitkamp sent a letter to the president expressing her continued concerns about the negative effects tariffs would have on North Dakota exports, and she warned of the potential agricultural crisis that would envelop rural America.

Click here to read Heitkamp’s op-ed on why smart trade policies — not tariffs — are needed to support North Dakota farmers and ranchers.

Background

Heitkamp has long fought to guarantee North Dakota farmers have fair access to China, including through a World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance case in December 2016. In September 2016, she helped announce an earlier compliance case to hold China accountable for over-subsidizing its domestic crops.

Last year, China agreed to open its market to U.S. beef after Heitkamp urged the president to press the issue at a summit with Chinese President Xi Jingping.

After the administration announced new tariffs on aluminum and steel, Heitkamp warned of the potential for retaliation by our trading partners, which would hurt the ability of North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers to export their products. Heitkamp has cosponsored bipartisan legislation introduced by Republican Arizona Senator Jeff Flake to nullify the aluminum and steel tariffs announced by the administration on March 8.

Heitkamp has been fighting to protect and expand markets for North Dakota goods, pushing the administration to back off damaging threats to withdrawal from NAFTA and speaking out against tariffs that would put the state’s economy at risk.

Exports are a critical component of North Dakota’s farming, ranching, and manufacturing economy. For example:

• 60 percent of North Dakota’s exports to China are agricultural products, according the U.S. Department of Commerce.

• 71 percent of North Dakota soybeans go to Asia, primarily China, according to the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. On the day the proposed Chinese tariffs were announced, there was a 40 cent drop in price, which would equate to a $99.4 million dollar loss to ND farmers. Or a loss of $16.60 per acre.

• North Dakota exports 95 percent of its corn, 88 percent of its beef, 86 percent of its pork, and 100 percent of its poultry to Canada and Mexico, according to a recent Farm Bureau report.

• North Dakota is in the top 10 most exposed states to new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, according to the Brookings Institution.

• North Dakota is home to over 17,000 workers employed in industries that are particularly dependent on production and consumption of steel and aluminum, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• 50 percent of North Dakota’s exports to the European Union are agricultural and construction

###