WASHINGTON, D.C.— At a press conference today, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged passage of the bipartisan trade promotion authority legislation, highlighting the importance of opening new markets to America’s farmers and ranchers.  

Click here to watch Thune’s full statement.

Excerpts:

“By failing to reauthorize TPA, which is something we haven’t done since 2007, American producers are missing out on new opportunities to sell to the more than 96 percent of consumers who live outside of the United States. And, nowhere is this more important than when it comes to the area of agriculture. America’s high quality agricultural products are in high demand around the globe, which is why ag exports last year hit a record 152 billion dollars …

“But we can’t afford to take these exports for granted. As other nations are actively negotiating new agreements, our producers are going to be left on the sidelines if we don’t get trade promotion authority put into effect.”