Coalition Letter on proposed cuts to agricultural offices inside the U.S. Department of State

Letter

Key Points:

• Essential Role of Agricultural Policy in Foreign Affairs: NASDA and other signing organizations emphasize that agricultural policy is a critical component of U.S. foreign policy, arguing that cuts to key offices within the State Department—specifically the Office of Agricultural Policy (EB/AGP) and the Office of Economic and Development Affairs (IO/EDA)—would undermine U.S. leadership and influence in global agriculture, trade negotiations, and international standard-setting bodies.
• Impact of EB/AGP and IO/EDA on U.S. Agricultural Competitiveness: These offices protect billions in U.S. agricultural exports by combating non-tariff barriers, influencing international regulations, and ensuring science-based trade standards. Their coordination with USDA and USTR is vital to a unified and effective U.S. agricultural trade policy.
• Call to Preserve Agricultural Representation in Diplomacy: The coalition of agricultural organizations urges the Administration to reconsider the proposed cuts and to maintain the staffing and functions of these offices, warning that without their continued operation, the U.S. risks losing its competitive edge and global leadership in agriculture.

Secretary Rubio, Secretary Rollins, and Ambassador Greer:

The undersigned organizations write to express deep concern over the proposed cuts to agricultural offices inside the U.S. Department of State. While we support the Administration’s efforts to streamline U.S. foreign policy, the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau’s Office of Agricultural Policy, and the International Organizations Bureau’s Office of Economic Development Affairs are critically important to the global interests of U.S. agricultural stakeholders.

Agricultural policy is foreign policy. What is innovated, grown, produced, manufactured in, and exported from the United States holds the reputation of America’s rich farming, ranching and rural history. U.S. farmers, producers, and exporters feed the world and set the standards for agricultural production and safety, making a strong understanding of agricultural issues in a diplomatic and negotiation context crucial in broader foreign policy spheres. Without strong voices advocating for U.S. agriculture in these spaces, the United States risks ceding its global agricultural leadership to foreign countries.

The Economic and Business Affairs Bureau’s Office of Agricultural Policy (EB/AGP) is the Department’s focal point for U.S. agricultural stakeholders. From negotiating trade agreements, to shaping international standards on agricultural issues, to combating foreign influence that undermines U.S. agricultural interests, EB/AGP’s work ensures that foreign policy objectives uplift the U.S. as the premier leader in agriculture globally. EB/AGP protects farmers and stakeholders by defending billions of dollars of U.S. exports in major international venues like the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and EB/AGP works to ensure U.S. farmers are unencumbered by nontariff trade barriers that stifle innovation and reduce revenue. The office serves as the primary State Department liaison to USTR and USDA, and decades of coordination has increased the efficiency of the Executive Branch interagency process on regulatory, trade, and foreign policy negotiations impacting U.S. agricultural exports.

Within the International Organizations Bureau (IO), the Office of Economic and Development Affairs (EDA) is integral to defending U.S. agricultural interests during negotiations at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Under the first Trump Administration, IO/EDA successfully secured U.S. leadership within the FAO, nominating and confirming Beth Bechdol’s role as Deputy Director-General of the FAO. Through this effort and others, IO/EDA has repeatedly worked to prevent other countries from leveraging international organizations to undermine U.S. interests on agricultural policy issues. As such, IO/EDA’s work also maintains the United States as the leading voice for establishing food and trade standards globally, and science-based decisions in support of trade in crucial venues such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

If the United States is to remain the global leader in agriculture, U.S. farmers, ranchers, producers, and industry need the support of these two offices to uplift these interests globally. When combined with the expertise at USDA and USTR, these offices provide invaluable service to U.S. farmers and the agricultural industry to ensure export success, influence in international bodies, and uphold the high-standards that U.S. agriculture works hard to maintain. We strongly encourage the Administration to reconsider actions that would eliminate these offices, and we encourage the Department to look for ways to preserve the key functions and personnel that are defending U.S. agricultural stakeholders and interests across the globe.

Respectfully,

American Feed Industry Association
American Seed Trade Association
American Soybean Association
Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Corn Refiners Association
Crop Life America
Independent Bakers Association
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Corn Growers Association
National Cotton Council
National Farmers Union
National Grain and Feed Association
National Pork Producers Council
National Sorghum Producers
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
North American Export Grains Association
The Fertilizer Institute
U.S. Apple Association
U.S. Grains Council
U.S. Wheat Associates
USA Rice

CC: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry; U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee; U.S. House Committee on Agriculture

Agricultural Coalition

Proposed cuts to agricultural offices inside the U.S. Department of State