{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://buchanan.house.gov/2026/09/21/buchanan-urges-trump-administration-to-take-action-on-sulfur-shortage-threatening-american-fertilizer-production/", "Buchanan Urges Trump Administration to\u00a0Take\u00a0Action\u00a0on Sulfur Shortage Threatening American Fertilizer Production", "2026-09-21", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Vern Buchanan", "B001260", "buchanan.house.gov", "buchanan", "https://buchanan.house.gov/media/", "scraper", "\u201cWhat Hurts American Phosphate Hurts the American Farmer and Costs American Families\u201d\n\nSulfur Prices Have Surged Nearly 600 Percent as Domestic Fertilizer Producers Cut Production and Jobs\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging immediate action to address the severe disruption in sulfur supply putting American phosphate fertilizer production at risk.\n\n\u201cSulfur is the backbone of domestic phosphate fertilizer production, and right now American producers cannot afford it,\u201d said Buchanan. \u201cWhat hurts American phosphate hurts the American farmer and costs American families. More than 200 workers have already lost their jobs, and every day the interagency process drags on puts more of them at risk. The Administration has the tools to act, and I am urging them to use them now to support and protect our farmers. This isn\u2019t one company\u2019s problem or one state\u2019s problem. It\u2019s whether America can feed itself without depending on foreign suppliers. I\u2019m not willing to leave that to chance for our children and grandchildren.\u201d\n\nSulfur is a critical raw material for domestic phosphate fertilizer production. The letter warns that the shortage has already forced significant production curtailments and that the more than 200 workers who lost their jobs a few weeks ago may be the first of many.\n\nRecent geopolitical and shipping disruptions have constrained global sulfur supplies and driven prices to historic levels. The ten-year average price for sulfur in Tampa is $172 per long ton. Since May, prices have surged more than $1,000 per long ton and are currently approximately $1,100 to $1,200, a nearly 600 percent increase.\n\nThe disruption affects thousands of contractors, suppliers and communities that depend on these operations every day. This is not a challenge that can be fixed by one company, state or industry. Losing domestic fertilizer production would increase America\u2019s reliance on foreign sources for an essential agricultural input.\n\nThe letter calls on the Administration to act quickly to support American farmers and the domestic fertilizer industry they depend on.\n\nRead the full letter here or below:\n\nDear President Trump and Secretary Lutnick,\n\nI write requesting immediate, high-level action to address the severe disruption in sulfur supply and affordability. Sulfur is a critical raw material in phosphate fertilizer production in the United States. Without sulfur, there is no domestic phosphate fertilizer production. Without phosphate-based fertilizers, American agriculture, food security and supply chains are at risk.\n\nThousands of American workers rely on the American fertilizer industry, and this challenge is already forcing production curtailments. A few weeks ago, hundreds of those workers lost their jobs, threatening the domestic fertilizer supply farmers rely on. Elemental sulfur is essential to converting phosphate rock into crop nutrients. No affordable sulfur means less fertilizer and lower crop yields, resulting in an impacted food supply.\n\nWhat hurts American phosphate, hurts the American farmer, and costs American families.\n\nRecent geopolitical and shipping disruptions have constrained global sulfur supplies and driven prices to historic levels. The ten-year average price for sulfur in Tampa is $172 per long ton. Since May, prices have surged to $1,000 per long ton and are currently approximately $1,100 to $1,200, a nearly 600 percent increase.\n\nThese disruptions also affect the thousands of contractors, suppliers, and communities depending on these operations. It\u2019s important to note once production capacity is lost, it cannot be quickly restored. Every day America produces less fertilizer amounts to lost volumes for future planting seasons. This is a direct impact to American agriculture.\n\nMore broadly, this is not a challenge fixed by one company, state or industry. It is a critical national supply chain and food security issue. Losing domestic fertilizer production would increase our reliance on foreign sources for an essential agricultural input at a time when Congressional Republicans are working with your Administration to bolster domestic manufacturing and strengthen American supply chains.\n\nThe interagency process, while appreciated, falls short of moving at a speed commensurate with the urgency of the situation. Immediate engagement at the highest levels is needed. Your Administration has a range of lawful tools to increase the near-term availability of competitively priced sulfur, including authorities under the Defense Production Act; voluntary coordination with domestic refiners and sulfur marketers; transportation, storage, and logistics solutions; trade or financing tools; and engagement with allied suppliers. Any action should be targeted and account for potential impacts on energy markets and other domestic sulfur users.\n\nMarket forces alone cannot resolve this challenge quickly enough. Every day of disruption threatens more jobs, fertilizer production, and U.S. agricultural resilience. Prompt action can help protect a critical domestic industry and the farmers who depend on it. We stand ready to partner with your Administration in pursuing practical solutions and respectfully request to be kept informed of next steps.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"]], "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/2026/09/21/buchanan-urges-trump-administration-to-take-action-on-sulfur-shortage-threatening-american-fertilizer-production/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8915581274777651, "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"}