Meeting with United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Susan Schwab

Last week, I sat down with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab to discuss agriculture trade, including recent issues and concerns regarding cotton. It was very important for me to visit personally with Ambassador Schwab, as it is vital that these cotton issues are resolved in a manner that does not harm our farmers.

During this meeting, I hand-delivered a letter signed by 32 of my House colleagues that outlines concerns with a cotton proposal included in draft language at the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

In July, the chairman of the WTO agriculture negotiating group issued a draft text for discussion that included a proposal for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. cotton farm programs.  Since July, agriculture representatives have been negotiating over the draft text in an attempt to reach an agreement on the details of market access, domestic support and export competition issues.

The draft cotton language is unacceptable because it singles out cotton and treats it differently than other commodities. U.S. negotiators need to work to get this language removed or changed significantly, and I asked Ambassador Schwab to work closely with representatives from U.S. cotton producers to this end.

I also asked Ambassador Schwab to appeal the recent WTO ruling in the Brazil vs. U.S. cotton case. When U.S. cotton acres and cotton exports have declined while Brazil’s have increased, it’s difficult to understand how the United States is having a negative impact on Brazil.

In our meeting, Ambassador Schwab and I both agreed on the importance of trade and its direct impact on the success of farmers and ranchers in the 19th District. Additionally, I thanked her for her ongoing efforts to fully reopen Korea and Japan’s markets to U.S. beef.

Our meeting closed with the message that as she continues to work on the next WTO agreement, it must be balanced and cannot come at the expense of any one commodity.

S-CHIP Veto Sustained

Last week, the House of Representatives upheld the President’s veto of the Democrat’s proposed S-CHIP legislation that would have drastically expanded the original intent of the initial program implemented by Republicans back in 1997.

I am very pleased the veto was sustained, as this program was implemented to put low-income children first.  Congress must now go back to the drawing board; it is time to craft a bill that falls within the original intent of the S-CHIP program. We have got to get the adults off of the children’s program and make sure we are providing the coverage for poor children. That is the kind of bill that I would like to see come to the floor, and it is certainly one I would vote for.

Upcoming Mobile Office Hours

To provide the best possible service to constituents, I am sending my staff to various communities throughout the 19th District to assist them with any federal issues.

I invite all of my constituents seeking federal assistance or experiencing problems involving federal agencies to stop by and visit with one of my staff members. Constituent service is among my highest priorities and my dedicated and professional staff is standing by to aid you regarding federal assistance.

If you have any questions about upcoming mobile office hours, please feel free to call my toll free number at (866) 763-1611 or you can visit my website at www.randy.house.gov for more details.

--Randy