USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue this week argued that the U.S. has to stand up to China’s abusive trade practices like intellectual property theft, but the U.S. will not leave farmers to face Chinese bullying alone.
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue
In an editorial in USA Today, Perdue said, “There is no denying that the disruption in trade relations with China is unsettling to many in agriculture, but if the president succeeds in changing China’s behavior, America’s farmers will reap the benefits.” He said that President Trump understands that our farmers feed, fuel and clothe this nation and the world, and he will not allow U.S. agriculture to bear the brunt of China’s retaliatory tactics.
Secretary Perdue noted that the president has instructed him to craft a strategy to support farmers in the face of retaliatory tariffs. “At the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” he wrote, “we have tools at our disposal to support farmers faced with losses that might occur due to downturns in commodities markets. To this point, we have not unveiled our strategy, as it is not good practice to open our playbook while the opposing team is watching.
“But farmers should know this: They have stood with President Trump and his policies, and we will make good on our promise to stand with them as well. If China does not soon mend its ways, we will quickly begin fulfilling our promise to support producers, who have become casualties of these disputes.”
The op Ed can be read in its entirety as it appeared in USA Today by clicking here.
