Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 5/26/17

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) sought to allay the concerns of members of the U.S. Meat Export Federation gathered here this week about the White House budget proposals that would eliminate funding for USDA’s Market Access Program that funds some of their export promotional efforts.

“Don’t worry about the president’s budget. We haven’t paid any attention to a president’s budget since Ronald Reagan,” he quipped.  

Roberts called the Market Access Program “a great example of a program that works” that needs to be funded at least at current levels, “and we are going to work to preserve that.”

The White House budget proposed this week would eliminate all funding for USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and its Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. Combined, those two programs provided 40 percent of USMEF’s $44 million budget. If approved, it would cut USMEF funding by over $17 million.  

This is not the first time cutting or eliminating these programs has been proposed. The Obama administration proposed significant reductions and over the years there have been proposals to eliminate or cut these funds by various members of Congress.

Acknowledging that agriculture trade is in the vortex of many issues being acted on in Washington, Roberts said, “I know you are trying to defend your industry during troubled times,” but reminded the group, “This is a tough time. But it is not the worst of times.”  

He assured the group that the agriculture industry’s concerns are in good hands with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Roberts said Lighthizer is focused on moving forward with bilateral trade agreements with Japan and other Asian countries that are part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that President Donald Trump withdrew from soon after taking office.

He also expressed optimism about efforts to renegotiate the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the recent moves toward opening China to U.S. beef.