Trump administration announces plans to help Florida growers hurt by Mexican trade

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday an investigation into Mexican trade practices that Florida produce growers say is a threat to their livelihood. The action drew praise from Democrats and Republicans in Florida.

The United States Trade Representative, Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce released a plan to investigate the importation of Mexican blueberries, commence high-level government discussions with Mexico on U.S. concerns regarding imports of Mexican strawberries, bell peppers and other seasonal produce and potentially launch additional expedited investigations by the end of 2020.

“We are hopeful that today’s announcement signals a commitment from the administration to stand with Florida farmers and hold Mexico accountable for their unfair trade practices,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat. “It’s clear there is still a lot of work needed to provide the relief our farmers desperately need — the Florida Department of Agriculture will continue pushing for solutions, and we look forward to working with the administration to enact timely and effective remedies.”

The announcement comes after Republicans and Democrats from Florida argued to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement must be revised to prevent Mexican growers from undercutting Florida’s produce industry.

“For years, Florida’s fruit and vegetable growers have been harmed by unfair trade practices from Mexico, and the administration made a promise to me and the entire Florida congressional delegation earlier this year to examine these unreasonable trade practices and do something about it,” Rubio said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a first step in delivering on that promise.”

During a virtual hearing last month, elected officials and Florida growers argued that the state’s fruit and vegetable industry is undermined by produce subsidized by the Mexican government, which gives Mexican produce an unfair advantage in the U.S. marketplace. Florida’s produce industry is particularly harmed by the practice because its growing season overlaps with Mexico’s, they said.

“President Trump recognizes the challenges faced by American farmers and is committed to promoting and securing fair trade and a level playing field for all American producers,” Lighthizer said in a statement on Tuesday. “Secretary Perdue, Secretary Ross and I are fully engaged in this effort. We would like to thank all of the elected officials, agricultural leaders and dozens of farmers who participated in these hearings and helped make this plan a priority.”

The administration’s announcement also said the Commerce Department and Department of Agriculture will establish programs to help domestic produce growers market their fruits and vegetables and that an inter-agency working group will be formed to monitor the trade of seasonal produce.

During year-long negotiations for a revised trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Trump administration said Mexico refused to budge on lifting produce subsidies.

“It became very apparent it was the red line for Mexico,” Perdue said last month. “We want to know what we can do aside from closing the borders.”

Politicians from other states, particularly Arizona, were not in favor of helping Florida’s growers in trade negotiations because their state benefits from Mexican produce crossing the border into the U.S. market. Arizona and Florida are potential swing states in this year’s presidential election.

The USMCA was passed by the House of Representatives in December 2019 and the U.S. Senate in January 2020, with President Donald Trump signing it into law a few weeks after. The agreement went into effect on July 1 and ends after 16 years unless Mexico, Canada and the U.S. agree to extend it.

The trade deal was a rare successful compromise for Republicans and Democrats, and it passed overwhelmingly after House Democrats won the support of major unions when Trump agreed to appoint a panel of experts to make sure Mexico abides by union rules and labor protections.

All but one of Florida’s 27 House members voted for the trade deal along with Rubio and Republican Sen. Rick Scott, though Fried opposed it due to the produce issue. But the state’s political leadership has been pushing the Trump administration for months to come up with a solution.

Florida’s produce industry is largely concentrated in Central Florida, though significant amounts of crops like tomatoes are grown in southern Miami-Dade County.

Trump’s 2016 campaign pledge to end NAFTA and replace it with a superior deal was part of his appeal to white, working class voters in key swing states after he argued the agreement signed into law by President Bill Clinton hurt American jobs.

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 7:58 PM.