News

McKinney remains bullish on trade

USDA Undersecretary for Trade Ted McKinney says he remains bullish on trade with critical partners.  

McKinney says progress is being made in meetings between House Democrats and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, but the timeline is a concern.

“Once you hit Thanksgiving you only have two- maybe on a push- three weeks and in trade there’s always that last hang-up,” He says. “So I hope they’re working all those bugs out because we have to get the USMCA passed mostly so we can say to the rest of the world, yeah we can do a trade deal.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the National FFA Convention, he says he’s encouraged by progress made with China in the “phase one” trade deal.

“I do think this phase one will happen, I think there will be some purchases even perhaps substantial purchases,” he says. “I’m hoping that we’ll see some structural changes— what good are going back to purchases if you don’t change the very problems that created this trade dispute.”

McKinney says trade with Japan also continues to move forward. The US and Japan signed a trade deal in October. McKinney says they’re now waiting for the Diet, Japan’s legislature, to reassemble and pass the agreement.

Audio: Ted McKinney, USDA Undersecretary for Trade