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NAFTA'shivers,' the farm bill and a 'sunset' pitch
Story Date: 12/14/2017
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 12/13/17
Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts argued on Tuesday that Trump's threat to withdraw from NAFTA could complicate efforts to pass a new farm bill. The reauthorization is unlikely to provide much relief to an ailing agriculture industry, but Roberts said the sustained downturn is sure to have every ag group under the sun calling for programs to help farmers' bottom lines.
"We can't do that," he said at an event hosted by the Washington International Trade Association. "The best thing we can do is extend the farm bill and make some efficiencies, and make some changes and go from there. But if we have, as I say, all these shivers, that we've got of people wanting to terminate this [trade] agreement or have the threat out there, it's the wrong signal."
Hurry up and buy?: Roberts also said that Trump administration officials have tried to sell a NAFTA five-year sunset clause on the premise that it would actually increase agricultural exports. The concept would build a five-year automatic termination clause into the deal, meaning it would sunset at that juncture unless all three countries agree to keep it going.
"The idea you're going to terminate every trade agreement you agree on in five years - what the heck is that all about?" Roberts said. "The people that have met with me and expressed that view said, 'You won't believe how many ag products you're going to sell in that last year, because they won't know if a trade agreement will come the next year'."
"I said, 'my God, man! We need to increase our exports now. We need to sell our products," he added.
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