Bill to allocate more funds to USDA export programs introduced in U.S. House

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A bill to allocate more resources to USDA export promotion programs has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (R-KS) says on Friday, Nov. 4, that he helped introduce House Resolution 9244, the Supporting Market Access to Reinvigorate Trade Act of 2022. He said the bipartisan bill was presented by him and six of his colleagues.

Between 1977 and 2019, Congressman Mann said the U.S. Department of Agriculture export promotion programs added 13.7% of additional export revenue - about $648 billion - to the value of agricultural exports from the U.S. He said these programs also created nearly a quarter of a million American jobs between 2002 and 2019 alone.

“Trade promotion is an essential function of a strong Farm Bill,” said Rep. Mann. “The return on investment from private sector contributions, which accounted for roughly 75% of export promotion between 2013 and 2019, is unparalleled. The SMART Act will help agricultural trade associations as they work tirelessly to ensure American producers remain competitive in the international marketplace.”

Mann noted that the legislation would amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to empower the Secretary of Agriculture to allocate more resources to the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program for fiscal years 2024 through 2029.

To read the full text of the bill, click HERE.