Striking Down SPS Barriers Would Be Top Emphasis for USDA Trade Under Secretary Nominee If Confirmed
Dismantling foreign sanitary and phytosanitary trade barriers would be Ted McKinney’s top priority if confirmed as under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, the nominee told the Senate Agriculture Committee during his Sept. 19 confirmation hearing. “We try very hard in the U.S. to subscribe to the [World Trade Organization] standards or any other standards that have been agreed to, and the reverse is not true,” McKinney said. “And I think it’s time to call that out and address it for what it is, and be firm about that.” If confirmed, McKinney would work with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the State Department, and Commerce Department to address SPS double standards of several U.S. trading partners, he said in written testimony to the committee.
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Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., pushed the idea of exporting agricultural products to Cuba, noting the country is very close to the U.S. and imports 80 percent of the food it consumes. “I believe in free trade wherever it makes sense,” McKinney responded. But McKinney also noted that “there’s still some debate” on whether to export to Cuba, and that the decision isn’t his to make, though he pledged to “pursue” the possibility with Perdue and with congressional consultation, should lawmakers give guidance to that effect.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, expressed hope that McKinney could help push back against Brazilian tariffs on U.S. ethanol assessed in August. Brazil slapped a 20 percent, 600 million liter tariff rate quota on U.S. ethanol last month. “I would hope that you could be in a strong position to ... fight that very, very hard.” President Donald Trump nominated McKinney, who has been Indiana Agriculture Department director since 2014, for the post on Aug. 2. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced creation of the position on May 11, citing guidance in the 2014 Farm Bill (see 1705120030).
Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and ranking member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., touted the “do no harm” principle espoused by several industries, including agriculture, for ongoing NAFTA renegotiations. Stabenow said several Michigan farmers are concerned about a loss of foreign market access as the U.S. reexamines its free trade agreements, and said McKinney’s voice would be “essential” in ensuring that agriculture doesn’t get “left behind” as the Trump administration embarks upon renegotiating existing and negotiating new FTAs. “What do you view as an appropriate measure of doing no harm to agriculture when a NAFTA or other existing agreements like the free trade agreement with Korea or the Pacific Rim countries?” Roberts asked. Doing no harm, McKinney said, means “to sustain the baseline,” adding he wouldn’t be satisfied with that and would look for export growth opportunities across the U.S. agriculture sector, including specialty crops.
Part of promoting exports involves using science and research to educate other countries that a disease afflicting agricultural products in one part of the U.S. doesn’t mean all exports of a certain product from the U.S. should be blocked, McKinney said. He also briefly touched on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, saying the agency’s import inspection program is the best way to prevent avian flu from spreading in U.S. agriculture.
McKinney has gained the support of at least one Democrat senator in Joe Donnelly of Indiana, who introduced him during the hearing, calling him a “hard worker” who is “dedicated to agriculture” and who would to a “terrific job” in the nominated position. In meeting with several senators before the confirmation hearing, questions of “priorities and countries came up frequently,” McKinney said in written testimony. One of his first actions after confirmation would be to meet with Perdue, then “quickly establish a priority list,” and then visit those prioritized countries, he said. “No doubt it will include NAFTA, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, EU, Latin America, and others,” McKinney said. “If confirmed, I look forward to diving into these trade [relationships] with sister agencies to bring these to fruition as quickly as possible.” A committee spokeswoman said the panel will schedule a date to consider whether to advance McKinney’s nomination after he submits answers to senators’ post-hearing questions.