Hoeven Welcomes second Round of Trade Assistance for Agriculture Producers Impacted by Ongoing Trade Negotiations

Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Monday issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the second round of trade assistance for agriculture producers impacted by ongoing trade negotiations. Hoeven has been urging USDA officials, including Secretary Sonny Perdue and Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky, as well as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to move the payments forward in a timely manner and ensure the assistance best meets the needs of North Dakota’s farmers.

“We appreciate USDA and the administration for working with us and heeding our call to provide this assistance to farmers and ranchers,” Hoeven said. “Although we have made recent progress, including the soybean purchase from China and securing a new free agreement with Canada and Mexico, times are tough in farm country. Trade assistance and the recently-passed farm bill provide much-needed certainty for our agriculture producers as these negotiations continue.”