(WASHINGTON D.C.) — USDA Undersecretary for Trade nominee Luke Lindberg rebuffed repeated attacks by Senate Ag Committee Democrats on the president’s tariffs, predicting there will be trade wins for farmers.
A day before the Senate narrowly failed to undo the president’s tariffs, Lindberg told critical Ag Democrats that Trump’s tariffs secured trade deals in his first term and will again. “My faith is in the fact that we are going to get better deals for farmers, and that’s what he’s tasked me to do,” said Lindberg. “And I think, through those deals, there will be a boon to our farming economy.”
He pointed to earlier comments by the Treasury secretary that new trade deals are on the horizon. “I look forward to the boon that will come to our family farms when we get those trade deals signed in the not-too-distant future,” said Lindberg. “The president has also made it very clear through a post he put out on social media that he will have the farmers’ backs should there be a need for that at that time. I believe that will not be necessary at this moment. But certainly, I will follow the president’s direction that, should that be needed in the future, we’ll be there to support them.”
Lindberg says he’ll work to open new markets and fight non-tariff barriers, arguing the U.S. needs to correct past mistakes.
“For too long, we’ve let other countries access our market and not negotiated reciprocal access to theirs,” according to Lindberg. “America has not lost our competitive edge in producing food, fuel, and fiber. We’ve merely abdicated our leadership role in feeding the world by allowing others to rig the system against us.”
Lindberg cited India and the EU as ripe targets for trade deals, while new reports out of China hint at some willingness to negotiate down President Trump’s biggest tariffs.
SOURCE: NAFB News Service and Matt Kaye/Berns Bureau
