7 U.S.C. § 1736P (changes) — Trade policy declaration

Current — April 4, 1996

As of December 23, 1985

(a) Congressional findings

Congress finds that—

(1) the volume and value of United States agricultural exports have significantly declined in recent years as a result of unfair foreign competition and the high value of the dollar;

(2) this decline has been exacerbated by the lack of uniform and coherent objectives in United States agricultural trade policy and the absence of direction and coordination in trade policy formulation;

(3) agricultural interests have been under-represented in councils of government responsible for determining economic policy that has contributed to a strengthening of the United States dollar;

(4) foreign policy objectives of the United States have been introduced into the trade policy process in a manner injurious to the goal of maximizing United States economic interests through trade; and

(5) the achievement of that goal is in the best interests of the United States.

(b) Congressional declaration of policy

It is hereby declared to be the agricultural trade policy of the United States to—

(1) provide through all means possible agricultural commodities and their products for export at competitive prices, with full assurance of quality and reliability of supply;

(1) be the premier supplier of agricultural and food products to world markets and expand exports of high value products;

(2) support the principle of free trade and the promotion of ~~fairer~~ trade in agricultural commodities and ~~their~~ products;

(2) support the principle of free trade and the promotion of fair trade in agricultural commodities and products;

(3) cooperate fully in all efforts to negotiate with foreign countries reductions in ~~current~~ barriers to ~~fair trade;~~

(3) cooperate fully in all efforts to negotiate with foreign countries further reductions in tariff and nontariff barriers to trade, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures and trade-distorting subsidies;

(4) ~~counter~~ aggressively unfair foreign trade practices ~~using all available means, including export restitution, export bonus programs, and, if necessary, restrictions on United States imports of foreign agricultural commodities and their products,~~ as a means ~~to encourage~~ fairer trade;

(4) aggressively counter unfair foreign trade practices as a means of encouraging fairer trade;

(5) remove foreign policy constraints to maximize United States economic interests through agricultural trade; and

(6) provide for consideration of United States agricultural trade interests in the design of national fiscal and monetary policy that may foster continued strength in the value of the dollar.