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Farmers for Free Trade calling for Congressional tariff authority

The Farmers for Free Trade Executive Director says he’s hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court this week can help get tariff authority back into the hands of Congress.

Brian Kuehl tells Brownfield, “I think that the President has overstepped on his authority with tariffs and that’s causing a lot of disruption.”

The organization has compiled a report following its multistate Midwest listening session on the impacts of President Trump’s tariff actions. 

Kuehl says farmers at every stop called for tariff relief on inputs.

“One of our asks is that the administration or Congress should exempt farmers and farm inputs from those tariffs,” he shares.

The nonpartisan organization is also calling for an overall reduction in global trade tensions, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to be stabilized, and new market access.

“We also need to move from sort of a mentality of one-offs where a country agrees to buy a billion dollars and get to a position where a country agrees to duty-free trade for decades,” he says. “That’s what we can count on, and that’s what farmers then can invest based on.”

Wednesday justices will hear oral arguments on the legality of President Trump invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and a Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. have all ruled against the President’s actions.