Congresswoman Brown, Agriculture Democrats Raise Alarm Over Trump Administration’s Chaotic Tariff Policy

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Vice Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture joined Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) and Democrats on the committee in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, expressing concerns over the Trump administration’s whiplash tariffs which have seeded uncertainty and chaos throughout the agricultural sector.

“President Trump’s policies are raising prices for farmers and raising prices at the grocery store in Ohio. He’s lived his life on room service, so he doesn’t get it or doesn’t care. I will continue to speak out against these policies, which are hurting Americans,” said Congresswomen Shontel Brown. 

“Right now, across the country, many farmers are beginning to calve and are preparing for planting season. The last thing they need is uncertainty about whether fertilizer and energy prices will shoot up or if they can move their cattle across the northern border to feedlots in Canada,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter writers continued: “There is nothing fun about tariffs for farmers. The more the Administration threatens to implement and then remove tariffs the less reliable we appear. This leads to an unstable business environment and harms our credibility with our neighbors. […] American farmers have fought hard for decades to gain access to foreign markets, and they rely on partnerships with our allies in North America to be successful and turn a profit. The Administration’s current stance on trade policy is a bad deal for farmers and a bad deal for Americans. We urge you to pursue trade negotiation through established channels and abandon the chaotic approach to tariffs that the administration has employed.”

Read the full letter here.

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