Supporting American Farm Production, National Security Remains Congressional Priority

Traverse City, MI – In a bipartisan show of support for America’s sugar producers and the role they play in supporting national food security, Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), Brad Finstad (R-MN-01), John Moolenaar (R-MI-02), and Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) spoke at the U.S. sugar industry’s 40th annual conference this week.

“I think about the challenges that we have on our farm that aren’t different than those of you that are in the [sugar] industry, and that is the volatility and the unknowns with the weather. That is the market pressures that we see that sometimes don’t make sense, and then the crippling inputs that we have faced over the years, and at the end of the day, it’s all about making sure that we can continue to farm, not just for this year but for generations to come,” said Rep. Finstad, a fourth-generation farmer and Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.

This year’s International Sweetener Symposium was held in Traverse City, MI, a region represented by Rep. Bergman, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Bergman pointed to the strategic importance of a strong domestic food supply.

“Good policy reflects the needs of the country when it comes to being self-sustainable. We don’t need to rely on other countries to make sure that we have the food we need. We need to rely on ourselves,” Rep. Bergman said.

Rep. Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (House Select Committee on China), spoke about the need to maintain our food security and preserve America’s position as a global leader.

“Food security is national security. Our growers are the best in the world,” Rep. Moolenaar said.

“I think COVID really showed how dependent we were on China, when they were willing to cut us off – whether it was protective equipment or medicines – and it started to show some of our vulnerabilities. Our job [on the House Select Committee on China] is to really expose what are some of our vulnerabilities, and determine how we make a change,” Rep. Moolenaar continued.

Rep. Stevens, who also serves as a key member of the House Select Committee on China, expressed her commitment to maintaining American manufacturing jobs.

“Never, never, never bet against the working man or the working woman,” Rep. Stevens said. “We are faced with some trying times and some unusual constraints and rising costs. My friends in the sugar industry have taught me so much about the inextricable nature of how our manufacturing sector [intersects] with our ag sector.”

Rep. Stevens also talked about work she is doing to reshore supply chains for essential commodities like critical minerals and lower costs, saying Americans shouldn’t “allow ourselves to be overly dependent on a foreign adversary who doesn’t play by the rules.”

Congress has made it clear that offshoring essential American manufacturing jobs, like sugar production, to foreign countries would put our national security at significant risk.

In Michigan, beet sugar production generates more than $1.5 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 14,000 jobs throughout the sugar supply chain. The sugar made by Michigan sugarbeets is extracted and packaged for delivery to food manufacturers and store shelves throughout the region. Across the country, beet and cane sugar production generates $23.3 billion in annual economic impact and ensures a steady made-in-America supply of an essential ingredient.