Administration Challenging Mexican Agricultural Ban

(Washington, DC) Following a letter sent by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, our own Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith, demanding the Biden administration take action to hold Mexico accountable for its failing to meet its obligations under the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced this week that the U.S. has taken the first step toward invoking the trade agreement's dispute settlement mechanism to challenge Mexico's ban on U.S. grown corn and other American made agriculture products. Smith says Mexican officials need to follow what was already agreed upon.

Mexico represents the second largest export market for U.S. corn, but American farmers have been under threat of new restrictions by Mexico for the last two years, an issue that still remains. One of Smith's top priorities as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade, is making sure U.S. trade policies protect American farmers, ranchers, and workers. Smith, a 4th generation owner of a family farm, worked closely with the Trump administration and his colleagues to get USMCA agreement ratified.