WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and John Hoeven (R-ND), along with Representatives Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) and Troy Carter (D-LA) led a bipartisan, bicameral effort, along with 108 of their colleagues, urging U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer to utilize a Section 301 investigation into unfair and discriminatory trade practices by foreign sugar-producing countries.
They call on USTR to take appropriate action to protect American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers, processors, refiners, and factory workers from being undercut by discriminatory foreign trade practices. In the letter, the members of Congress:
- Highlighted that the tier two tariff meant to defend U.S. sugar production from being undercut by discriminatory foreign trade practices has not been updated in 26 years and has become wholly ineffective.
- Noted that the erosion of the tier two tariffs has led to a more than 700 percent increase in out-of-quota sugar imports between Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 and 2025 compared to the prior five-year period.
- Highlighted a recent study by the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Agricultural Risk Policy Center analyzing the impact of over-quota sugar imports on domestic sugar prices, which found that Tier-2 imports depressed U.S. domestic raw sugar prices and resulted in an estimated loss of up to $1.8 billion for the domestic U.S. sugar industry last year.
- Cited peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics that confirms the retail prices of sugar-sweetened foods are not driven by the cost of sugar.
- Urged Ambassador Greer to take action to level the playing field for U.S. producers, including imposing tariffs sufficient to return sugar imports to historic norms.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
The following organizations have endorsed the letter: Amalgamated Sugar Company, American Crystal Sugar Company, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sugar Alliance, American Sugar Cane League, American Sugar Refining, Inc., American Sugarbeet Growers Association, Big Horn Basin Beet Growers Association, Big Horn County Sugar Beet Growers Association, Colorado Sugarbeet Growers Association, Elwyhee Beet Growers Association, Florida Crystals Corporation, Florida Sugar Cane League, Michigan Sugar Company, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, NebCo Beet Growers Association, Nebraska Sugarbeet Growers Association, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, Snake River Sugarbeet Growers, Southern- Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, Southern Montana Sugarbeet Growers Association, Sugarcane Growers Cooperative of Florida, US Beet Sugar Association, US Sugar, Western Sugar Cooperative, Wheatland Beet Growers Association, and the Wyoming Sugar Company.