releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=CAE60EF5-514B-4B49-8024-C861AD62C402
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=CAE60EF5-514B-4B49-8024-C861AD62C402 | Heitkamp Statement on New Trade Agreement with Canada & Mexico | 2018-10-01 | 2018 | 2018-10 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement on the new trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. From the beginning of the renegotiation of NAFTA, which has been going on for over a year, I've been pushing for a deal that maintains North Dakota's critical trade relationships with Canada and Mexico, our largest trading partners, Heitkamp said. The renegotiation was an opportunity to address several issues important to North Dakota agriculture. Over the past year, I've had many helpful and substantive meetings with the Canadian ambassador to talk through issues in NAFTA that I hoped could be addressed to support North Dakota farmers and ranchers. The new agreement is good news for wheat growers who would no longer face an unfair Canadian grading system a change I've been pushing for but it's disappointing the concerns of cattle ranchers and potato farmers were not addressed. Additionally, this agreement doesn't address the steel and aluminum tariffs which are still putting North Dakota's energy industry and agriculture manufacturing equipment companies in jeopardy. Throughout the negotiation, I've been working with North Dakota agriculture producers to help them maintain their relationships with their buyers in Canada and Mexico, and I hope we can now move forward in a way that's good for North Dakota's ag economy. From the beginning on the NAFTA renegotiation in 2017, Heitkamp outlined her top priorities for North Dakota agriculture including wheat grading, which was ultimately addressed in the final agreement. Heitkamp consistently pushed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to deal with the wheat grading issue that puts North Dakota growers at a disadvantage. Heitkamp also pressed Canadian officials in numerous meetings about this issue and urged them to come to the table to talk about fair grading practices for North Dakota producers. Under Canada's grading system, wheat grown in North Dakota is unable to receive a premium grade, even if the wheat was a variety registered in Canada. This makes Canadian grain handlers reluctant to handle U.S. grain in their bulk handling system. This has been a longstanding issue for U.S. wheat and barley producers, and has repeatedly been recognized as a market access barrier by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and USTR in various reports. Heitkamp has also worked with other commodity groups, like the potato growers she recently met with near Grand Forks and in Washington, to make sure their voices were heard at the negotiating table. Background: Heitkamp has been proactively fighting for smart trade policies to protect North Dakota's economy. From the beginning of the NAFTA renegotiation, she has pushed for a quick resolution to the talks in a way that strengthens U.S. agriculture and preserves market access to North Dakota's top two trading partners. She has taken action by: Pressing top officials since the beginning of this administration to protect and expand markets for North Dakota goods. Heitkamp has met with the U.S. Agriculture Secretary (USDA), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), U.S Commerce Secretary, and many other top U.S. administration officials many of them several times to explain that the U.S. needs smart trade policies to allow our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers to reach new markets not tariffs, uncertainty with NAFTA, or hostility toward our top trading partners. At the beginning on the NAFTA renegotiation, Heitkamp outlined her top priorities for North Dakota agriculture including wheat grading, which was ultimately addressed in the final agreement. Heitkamp recently pushed for improvements to the aid package for farmers suffering from slumping commodity prices and an uncertain future for this season's crop. In February 2017, when she first met with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, when he was a nominee for the position, the bulk of their conversation focused on trade. Heitkamp pushed Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, on the impact of the administration's trade war on the U.S. economy. Powell agreed that imposing tariffs over a sustained period time is the wrong thing to do for the economy. Engaging with North Dakota's critical trading partners like Canada and Mexico. In frequent meetings and phone calls with the Mexican and Canadian Ambassadors to the U.S., Heitkamp has worked to protect the trade relationships that keep North Dakotas export-dependent economy thriving. She recently coordinated a meeting between North Dakota farmers and ranchers and the Mexican ambassador to help maintain their trade relationship amid the uncertainty caused by the administration's trade war and NAFTA renegotiation. Introducing legislation to help farmers and ranchers recover losses they face because of the administration's trade war. In July, Heitkamp introduced legislation that would make Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) available at no additional cost to the existing TAA program to farmers and producers whose exports are hurt by retaliatory tariffs caused by the administration's trade policies. She also introduced a bill to direct funds the government is collecting from tariffs on imported goods toward trade promotion assistance to help open new markets for farmers and ranchers hurt by the trade war. Gaining input from North Dakotans. Heitkamp has regularly met with folks from North Dakota impacted by trade, including recent meetings in Washington with North Dakota growers of soybeans, corn, barley, and other commodities, as well as manufacturers and small business owners. She has held a series of meetings across the state to gain input from North Dakotans in agriculture, energy, and manufacturing. And she recently launched a web survey to gain input from North Dakotans to help inform how she can best push back on the administration's actions on trade. Raising concerns about impacts of retaliatory tariffs on the manufacturing industry. Heitkamp recently toured WCCO Belting, Inc. in Wahpeton and heard firsthand the concerns the North Dakota manufacturer has about trade wars and its ability to export its goods. Over half of WCCO's sales are to international customers, making trade an essential part of its business model. Speaking out against tariffs and uncertainty regarding NAFTA that would put the state's economy at risk. Heitkamp has met with farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers across North Dakota to talk about the need for smart trade policies that support North Dakota. She penned op-eds in March 2017 and again in April 2018 making the case. In February, she also did an episode on her podcast, The Hotdish, about NAFTA and the importance of trade for agriculture. For the episode, she interviewed the former U.S. agricultural trade negotiator and a North Dakota barley farmer. Heitkamp recently brought a group of North Dakota agriculture leaders to the Mexican Embassy in Washington to talk about the importance of NAFTA and reinforce their commitment to a strong relationship with their customers in Mexico Pressing for analysis about the impact of the administration's trade policies on small businesses. Heitkamp recently called on the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Advocacy to analyze the impact of the administration's tariff policies on American small businesses. Small businesses represent nearly 99 percent of all businesses in North Dakota, and support nearly 60 percent of all jobs in the state, according to SBA. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |