Marco Rubio, Bill Nelson want Florida agriculture protected in NAFTA talks
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Marco Rubio Bill Nelson

NAFTA negotiations are all but upon us and Florida’s U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio want to ensure Sunshine State agriculture gets a fair deal.

On Thursday, the two wrote a joint letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, urging protecting of Florida’s agriculture industry from what they call “unfair trade practices,” especially regarding a “fair and equitable market” for Florida farm goods.

Rubio and Nelson want “regional growers to use seasonal data for antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) cases.”

The senators “are hopeful the Administration will use all means available to prevent Mexico from targeting regional growers in an effort to monopolize the U.S. market during certain seasons.”

Nelson and Rubio also invoke the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015; specifically, its call for “eliminating practices that adversely affect trade in perishable or cyclical products, while improving import relief mechanisms to recognize the unique characteristics of perishable and cyclical agriculture.”

“Failure to meet these objectives would clearly not meet the standards Congress has set for trade agreements and would threaten the viability of a renegotiated NAFTA,” the Senators contend.

“A modernized NAFTA that helps level the playing field for American farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers will go a long way toward restoring faith in our trade agreements. Therefore, we ask that you give this request careful consideration and take meaningful steps throughout the remainder of these NAFTA negotiations to support American fruit and vegetable growers,” the letter concludes. 

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


One comment

  • SANDY OESTREICH

    September 1, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    Who Cares anymore What Rubio thinks/says !

    Rubio is Trump’s buddy. They live and breathe in the same GOP pollution.

    Women vote more reliably than men. So how smart is it of Rubio to diss all American women, arrogantly Telling Us what we need or don’t need? :

    http://www.pensitoreview.com/2016/09/22/rubio-says-women-dont-need-the-era/

    Freedom from nasty, poverty-inducing, GDP-attacking sex discrimination and Equal Treatment for male and female is exactly what the Equal Rights Amendment guarantees. How could that be bad for America..after all, all nations formed since WWII ALREADY HAVE CODIFIED IT. They saw their GDP rise; ours could, BY 15% ! 94 % by 2016 national survey Say THEY WANT THIS AMENDMENT IN THE US CONSTITUTION, no holds barred.

    But, ya think Rubio cares about all Americans? Think AGAIN. He is churning up his base for another puny, fake run for Pres. Hates the job, but begging for it. whatta’ guy. Remember, tho, he IS one of those unAmerican GOPs running for office. Egads.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories