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“INTRODUCTION OF THE ``CULTIVATING REVITALIZATION BY EXPANDING AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND EXPORTS (CREAATE) ACT''” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E599 on May 3, 2017.
The Department is primarily focused on food nutrition, with assistance programs making up 80 percent of its budget. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department implements too many regulations and restrictions and impedes the economy.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE ``CULTIVATING REVITALIZATION BY EXPANDING AMERICAN
AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND EXPORTS (CREAATE) ACT''
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HON. DAN NEWHOUSE
of washington
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my legislation, the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports Act, or simply the ``CREAATE Act.'' For decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) export promotion programs have helped American farmers create, expand, and maintain access to foreign markets.
The goal of the CREAATE Act is simple--to reassert the importance of the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program
(FMD) to America's agricultural producers and our economy as a whole. These important programs provide the U.S. agricultural community with the tools needed to retain its edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.
MAP and FMD are two of the most impactful USDA export promotion programs, and statutory funding each program has been static since the 2002 Farm Bill. However, those funds have been practically eroded in recent years by inflation, administrative costs, and sequestration. Meanwhile, America's competitors have ramped up their own export promotion programs, creating additional competition in the international marketplace. For example, the European Union spends more for the promotion of wine ($255.36 million in 2017 alone) than the U.S. spends on the promotion of all commodities through both the MAP and FMD programs. If this trend continues, American producers will be severely disadvantaged in the global marketplace.
Throughout their history, these successful public/private partnerships have cultivated hundreds of billions of dollars in exports, and created millions of American jobs, both in the agriculture sector and in support industries. Without these programs, it is very likely that the United States would not be the net agricultural exporter that we are today.
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