U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) led 27 Members of Congress on a letter to President Biden demanding that his Administration waive import duties on fertilizer from the two countries.
At a time when inflation is at the highest it has been in 41 years, along with record fertilizer prices, the Biden Administration imposed duties on imports of Moroccan phosphate fertilizer and is in the process of imposing duties on UAN fertilizer from long-time suppliers Trinidad and Tobago. In their letter, the members wrote, in part,
“Our country’s farmers and agricultural producers are making decisions on what to plant today based on fertilizer prices rather than typical market fundamentals. Coupled with inflation at the highest it has been in 41 years and a Consumer Price Index for food up 14.6%, the rising cost of fertilizer will increase food insecurity and geopolitical tension domestically and abroad…Unfortunately, during these unprecedented circumstances, your Department of Commerce and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) imposed duties on imports of Moroccan phosphate and is in the process of imposing duties on UAN from long-time supplier Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, currently, a supermajority of the global tradable supply of phosphate fertilizers is subject to U.S. duties…The bottom line is that fertilizer is critical to national security and national defense. Its affordability is also critical to wrangling out-of-control inflation. As such, we strongly encourage you to take immediate action to waive duties on fertilizer imports from Morocco and Trinidad and Tobago…”
Also signing Representative Mann and Senator Marshall’s letter were U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (IA), Steve Daines (MT), Bill Hagerty (TN), Jerry Moran (KS), Joni Ernst (IA), and Deb Fischer (NE), and U.S. Representatives Kat Cammack (FL), Ann Wagner (MO), Bob Gibbs (OH), Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO), Austin Scott (GA), Don Bacon (NE), Randy Feenstra (IA), Mary Miller (IL), Jake LaTurner (KS), Tom Emmer (MN), Neal Dunn (FL), David Rouzer (NC), Mike Johnson (LA), Doug Lamborn (CO), David Valadao (CA), Michael Guest (MS), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA), Barry Moore (AL), Rick Crawford (AR), Sam Graves (MO), Tedd Budd (NC), Ben Cline (VA), and Vicky Hartzler (MO).
Original source can be found here.
