News

Miami, FL — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement after White House Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, touted artificially low fruit and vegetable prices that harm American growers:
 
“In an effort to defend the White House from criticism over the impacts of historic and worsening inflation, President Biden’s top economic advisor shockingly welcomed artificially low prices of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are the result of unfair trade practices, government subsidies, and labor wage disparities in countries like Mexico,” Rubio said. “Director Deese’s statement is inconsistent with previous claims by the White House that the Biden Administration plans to address threats to American food security.”
 
“I urge the Biden Administration to unequivocally support American fruit and vegetable growers and work with me and my bipartisan colleagues in Congress to develop an action plan to halt the ongoing unfair trade practices by countries, like Mexico, that threaten American food security, national security, and the livelihoods of fruit and vegetable growers in Florida and other states,” Rubio concluded.
 
On August 30, 2021, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released a report detailing a 580 percent increase in the volume of specialty crop imports from Mexico between 2000 and 2020 due to unfair trade practices such as dumping, labor wage disparities, and un-competitive pricing. Mexico’s seizure of American market share through these malicious practices has consequently resulted in Florida’s growers losing their market shares for products such as: bell pepper (74.75 percent market share loss), strawberries (30.3 percent market share loss), blueberries (57.86 percent market share loss), and others. These impacts have caused billions of dollars in economic harm and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in Florida.
 
Related:

• May 5, 2021: Rubio, Colleagues Urge United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to Safeguard American Seasonal Producers From Unfair Foreign Trade Practices
• January 15, 2021: Rubio, Florida Republicans Urge Relief for Produce Growers From Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices 
• August 13, 2020: Rubio Delivers Defense of Florida’s Seasonal Growers at Virtual Hearing
• January 16, 2020: English/ Español: Rubio Statement on Senate Passage of USMCA
• September 29, 2019: Rubio: Today’s Suspension Agreement is a Significant Win for American Tomato Growers
• August 21, 2019: Rubio Applauds New Tomato Suspension Agreement 
• August 8, 2019: Rubio Looks Forward to Conclusion of Antidumping Investigation on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico
• May 7, 2019: Rubio Applauds U.S. Commerce Department Withdrawal From Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico, Resumption of Antidumping Investigation
• May 7, 2019: ICYMI: Rubio stands with U.S. tomato growers in our battle against cheap Mexican imports
• April 4, 2019: Rubio, Colleagues Raise Concerns to Lighthizer Regarding Lack of Effective Trade Enforcement for Seasonal Produce in USMCA
• March 13, 2019: Rubio, Colleagues Fire Back in Defense of U.S. Farmers, Administration
• February 1, 2019: Rubio, Yoho Lead Colleagues in Urging Secretary Ross To Support U.S. Tomato Growers Suffering From Unfair Mexican Trade Practices
• February 7, 2019: Rubio, Yoho Applaud U.S. Commerce Department Decision to Withdraw From Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico
• January 3, 2019: Rubio, Buchanan Re-Introduce Bill To Combat Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices Hurting Florida Farmers
• September 26, 2018: Rubio, Nelson Introduce Bill to Combat Mexican Unfair Trade Practices Facing Florida Farmers