USA Rice Meetings with Executive Branch During DC Fly-In Bolster Advocacy Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC – On November 19, while more than four dozen rice industry leaders traveled here for a final push to get the Farm Bill across the finish line in the lame duck Congress, a handful of USA Rice members carved out time to meet with several agencies in the Executive Branch.
 
A meeting with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) provided a preview of their offensive push at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against India that they presented recently to the WTO Committee on Agriculture in Geneva.  Just prior, the U.S. government had co-sponsored its third counter notification to India’s rice and wheat subsidies (see USA Rice Daily, November 12, 2024).

Separately, USA Rice representatives also met virtually with USTR and FAS to discuss trade concerns in Honduras and the Dominican Republic, highlighting the importance of enforcing the Dominican Republic - Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) to maintain commercially significant free markets in the region.
 
The group then met with Surface Transportation Board (STB) member, Patrick Fuchs, to discuss domestic transportation issues and appeal for a rice industry seat on the STB National Grain Car Council.  Fuchs lent an empathetic ear, ensuring follow-up on the request as well as sharing awareness of STB Executive Policy statements (EP 757 and EP 759) to promote transparency, timeliness, and accountability by rail carriers.  Members also met with Federal Maritime Commission Chair Dan Maffei sharing challenges and the importance of ocean shipping to the U.S. rice industry.
 
“It is so important to engage directly with the people working at federal agencies while in Washington,” said Karah Janevicius, USA Rice director of international trade policy, who coordinated and attended all the meetings.  “Sharing on-the-ground perspectives helps our government colleagues better understand the impact policies can have on U.S. rice exports, allowing them to effectively advocate for our interests and enhance trade flows.  This meeting with the Federal Maritime Commission was our first as an industry but certainly won’t be our last, given the ocean freight issues in the Red Sea and impacts from other conflicts around the world, our visit was timely.”