{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://buchanan.house.gov/2026/09/01/icymi-buchanan-calls-for-usmca-reforms-to-protect-seasonal-produce-growers-in-the-hill-op-ed/", "ICYMI: Buchanan\u00a0Calls\u00a0for USMCA Reforms to Protect Seasonal Produce Growers in\u00a0The Hill\u00a0Op-Ed", "2026-09-01", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Vern Buchanan", "B001260", "buchanan.house.gov", "buchanan", "https://buchanan.house.gov/media/", "scraper", "\u201cThis USMCA review gives our country a real opportunity to restore fairness for our seasonal produce growers, strengthen our food security and build a food system Americans can rely on and trust.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan penned an op-ed in The Hill highlighting the necessity of protections for seasonal producers within the ongoing United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review.\n\n\u201cThe strength of our food supply is imperative to our nation\u2019s strength,\u201d said Buchanan. \u201cDuring this review, the United States faces a clear choice: protect our ability to grow our own food or continue down a path of greater dependence on foreign food supplies, at the expense of our food security, our supply chains and Americans confidence in what\u2019s on their plate.\u201d\n\nRead the full op-ed HERE or below:\n\nFairness for Growers Is Food Security for America\n\nCongressman Vern Buchanan\n\nFood security begins at home. That\u2019s why the ongoing review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is such an important moment for American agriculture, and for our country. During this review, the United States faces a clear choice: protect our ability to grow our own food or continue down a path of greater dependence on foreign food supplies, at the expense of our food security, our supply chains and Americans\u2019 confidence in what\u2019s on their plate.\n\nAs Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, I helped negotiate USMCA back in 2019 as the top Republican on the Trade Subcommittee, and even then, I pushed for accommodations for our seasonal growers. Today, the stakes for Florida are higher than ever. Agriculture is a cornerstone of our state\u2019s economy, and the outcome of this review will help determine whether our Florida growers can keep producing the fruits and vegetables our country depends on.\n\nFor more than two decades, Mexican shippers have squeezed Florida farmers out of their own market by flooding it with low-priced produce during Florida\u2019s own growing season. According to an October 2025 report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services report, Florida\u2019s share of the fruit and vegetable market has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the past two decades, while Mexico\u2019s share has surged by more than 200 percent. Bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, blueberries: entire sectors of Florida agriculture have taken steep losses in market share and revenue, even as consumer demand keeps growing. Multi-generational Florida farms, family operations that have fed this country for generations, are being forced to shut their doors.\n\nSince USMCA took effect, the volume of these disruptive imports has only accelerated, jumping from $14 billion in 2020 to roughly $19 billion today. That surge has widened our already large agricultural trade deficit with Mexico and pushed more Florida growers to the breaking point.\n\nThe Trump administration recognizes this problem. Unchecked seasonal import volumes from Mexico are putting Florida agriculture at risk, and the administration is right to make finding a solution a priority in this USMCA review.\n\nThe solution Florida\u2019s industry has put forward is pragmatic, measured and long overdue: seasonal, product-specific tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on Mexican produce during Florida\u2019s marketing season. TRQs are a well-established, targeted trade tool already used across American agriculture. They strike the right balance, keeping trade flowing while preventing the seasonal surges that undercut a stable domestic supply. Any new agreement with Mexico should include this approach so we don\u2019t further compromise Florida\u2019s ability to grow food at home.\n\nFlorida isn\u2019t alone. Fruit and vegetable growers well beyond our state are facing the same pressures as import volumes surge, and they\u2019ve joined Florida in calling for a real solution. We agree: our trade agreements should never come at the expense of American agriculture\u2019s survival.\n\nEarlier this year, I authored a bipartisan letter to President Trump, alongside Senator Ashley Moody and members of the Florida Delegation, urging his administration to address the harm caused by these unchecked seasonal import surges. That call is even more urgent today.\n\nAt current rates, we risk permanently losing production capacity in key fruit and vegetable sectors. Once our farms, our infrastructure and generations of agricultural know-how are gone in favor of foreign production, they may never come back.\n\nThis USMCA review gives our country a real opportunity to restore fairness for our seasonal produce growers, strengthen our food security and build a food system Americans can rely on and trust. For the sake of Florida\u2019s growers and for a food supply this country can always count on, now is the time to act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-02T09:19:58Z", "2026-09-02T09:20:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://buchanan.house.gov/2026/09/01/icymi-buchanan-calls-for-usmca-reforms-to-protect-seasonal-produce-growers-in-the-hill-op-ed/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4173421077430248, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}