Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway and members of the Agriculture Committee met with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman in an Executive Briefing to discuss current trade negotiations and other trade-related issues and their impact on the agricultural sector.

U.S. agricultural exports have increased by more than 58 percent since 2009, setting a record with $152.5 billion in sales in fiscal year 2014.  While this is positive news for the U.S. economy, there are still challenges that remain.  Members of the committee asked Froman about the importance of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and status of both the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (T-TIP), as well as explored other issues relating to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“I am grateful for the work of Ambassador Froman and his team,” Chairman Conaway said. “While nearly every industry in America can benefit from expanding exports, agriculture is particularly sensitive to trade negotiations.  Agricultural exports support jobs both on and off the farm and have continued to be bright spot for the U.S. economy.  Although challenges remain, I was encouraged by our discussion today and believe Ambassador Froman is committed to working toward trade agreements that benefit all of U.S. agriculture.”