U.S. Senator Steve Daines has led a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, expressing support for American sheep producers who are facing challenges due to increasing imports in the domestic market. The letter also referenced a recent petition from American producers to the USTR and the U.S. International Trade Commission, requesting an investigation under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 into foreign imports.
The senators wrote, “We appreciate both your and President Trump’s decisive action to address unfair trading practices against American agricultural producers as well as efforts to enhance market access across the globe. America’s domestic sheep industry, already facing stubbornly high input costs and labor shortages, has suffered serious harm due to unchecked imports from foreign competitors over the last several years. As Senators who represent significant portions of the domestic sheep industry, we urge you to use all available measures at your disposal to support American sheep producers.
…America has a vested interest in maintaining our sheep industry, but without action multi-generational family run farms and ranches will no longer be viable. We appreciate the Trump Administration’s ongoing support for American agriculture and willingness to address injurious harm caused by unfair trading practices from competitors across the globe,” Daines wrote in the letter.
Senators Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) joined Daines in signing the letter.
Senator Daines represents Montana in the Senate and is involved with committees focused on finance, foreign policy, energy, natural resources, and Indian affairs according to his official website. He grew up in Bozeman, Montana as a fifth-generation Montanan and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Montana State University. Before entering politics, he worked in management roles at Procter & Gamble and served as an executive at a software company based in Bozeman.
Daines began serving as U.S. Senator from Montana in 2015 and maintains offices throughout Montana including cities such as Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Missoula, Kalispell, Sidney as well as Washington D.C., providing constituent services related to federal agencies and veterans’ resources (source). He has received awards for transparency and office practices from the Congressional Management Foundation.