Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nominated Alexis Taylor, an Iowa State University graduate who grew up on a family farm in rural Iowa, to serve as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued a statement applauding her nomination and calling for the Biden administration to fill the position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
“Congratulations to Alexis Taylor on her nomination to serve as the USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. While I’m very pleased an Iowan whom I know to be talented and hardworking has been nominated for this role, the announcement is long overdue. I once again urge the Biden administration to also nominate a qualified individual for Chief Agricultural Negotiator at USTR without delay.
“Iowa farmers and producers across the country rely on a robust trade system to export their goods. And as I’ve said for months, the Biden administration should be doing more to develop additional market access initiatives to support farmers, grow our agricultural economy and strengthen our trade alliances around the world. This has become even more important recently, as Putin continues waging war in Ukraine, and China – our number one trade competitor – watches closely.
“U.S. agricultural producers need to have a leading voice on the world stage who can advocate for free and fair trade, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Thankfully, Alexis Taylor has the right background and experience to hit the ground running, and I look forward to supporting her throughout the Senate confirmation process ahead,” Grassley said.
Grassley has pushed the Biden administration to fill critical trade positions, including this position of Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA and the position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at USTR.
In January, after President Biden had largely ignored trade issues during his first year in office, Grassley and Ernst urged the president to begin tackling trade challenges and to seek new trade agreements. This week, Grassley joined his colleagues in urging the USDA and USTR to prioritize market access initiatives as part of America’s trade agenda.
Original source can be found here
