Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (MN-7) made the below remarks following an announcement that an agreement was reached between the U.S. sugar industry and the Department of Commerce to bring Mexican sugar into compliance with U.S. trade laws:

“I am very pleased that the Department of Commerce was able to negotiate an agreement that works for U.S. sugar farmers by ending the illegal dumping of sugar,” said Chairman Conaway. “Great credit goes to Secs. Ross and Perdue, and the negotiating teams at Commerce and USDA who were able to bring this agreement to fruition. We’ve received assurances that there will be strict enforcement of these agreements and I fully expect USDA will administer them in a way that ensures U.S. sugar policy will be adhered to, including its operation at zero cost to the taxpayer.”

“This final agreement takes steps to alleviate the threat of dumping and address unfair Mexican trade practices that have hurt U.S. sugar growers. This is an important step,” said Ranking Member Peterson. “I will continue to closely follow the enforcement of this agreement, as well as the management of the sugar program to ensure both are done in the best interest of the U.S. sugar industry.”