WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the followed statement as the fourth round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concluded:

“Trade is essential for agriculture states like North Dakota. But I’ve been concerned about news reports that have indicated agriculture is getting pushed to the backburner during NAFTA renegotiations. Our farmers and ranchers need access to foreign markets to export their goods – otherwise, rural economies suffer and good American jobs are lost. We can and must support American workers and level the playing field for manufacturing jobs, but not at the expense of farm jobs. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been talking with top administration officials about the importance of agriculture trade and exports. And during a dinner last night with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Secretary Mnuchin, and a bipartisan group of senators, I reinforced how any renegotiation of NAFTA must not leave agricultural states like North Dakota behind. When 95 percent of consumers live outside the U.S., if we aren’t exporting, we’re losing. As NAFTA talks progress, I remain focused on North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers and their need to export to survive.”

Heitkamp has long worked to expand and protect market access for North Dakota farmers and ranchers. North Dakota is the ninth largest agriculture exporting state in the country, with $4.1 billion in commodities exported each year—and Canada and Mexico are the state’s two biggest foreign markets.

In May, Heitkamp urged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to defend North Dakota agricultural priorities as the administration renegotiates NAFTA. Heitkamp also pressed Lighthizer to use NAFTA renegotiations to address concerns that North Dakota producers have about Canadian grain standards, Mexican sugar dumping, and country of origin labeling for meat.

Starting with her one-on-one meeting with Lighthizer in February, Heitkamp has tirelessly reinforced to Lighthizer—and to other administration officials—that trade agreements should level the playing field for farmers, ranchers, and workers, while also holding other countries accountable when they cheat on trade deals.

Heitkamp is committed to protecting crucial export promotion programs in the 2018 Farm Bill. The president’s budget would have slashed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s export promotion programs. She also wrote an op-ed earlier this year about the critical role of agriculture exports.

Last year, Heitkamp called on the former U.S. Trade Representative to protect North Dakota grain growers from unfair treatment after a report she requested showed that Canada segregates North Dakota grain and offers unfair prices to U.S. producers at Canadian elevators. Heitkamp called on Lighthizer to resolve the issue.

###