[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE ``CULTIVATING REVITALIZATION BY EXPANDING AMERICAN 
             AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND EXPORTS (CREAATE) ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAN NEWHOUSE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2017

  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my legislation, 
the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade 
and Exports Act, or simply the ``CREAATE Act.'' For decades, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) export promotion programs have 
helped American farmers create, expand, and maintain access to foreign 
markets.
  The goal of the CREAATE Act is simple--to reassert the importance of 
the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program 
(FMD) to America's agricultural producers and our economy as a whole. 
These important programs provide the U.S. agricultural community with 
the tools needed to retain its edge in an increasingly competitive 
global economy.
  MAP and FMD are two of the most impactful USDA export promotion 
programs, and statutory funding each program has been static since the 
2002 Farm Bill. However, those funds have been practically eroded in 
recent years by inflation, administrative costs, and sequestration. 
Meanwhile, America's competitors have ramped up their own export 
promotion programs, creating additional competition in the 
international marketplace. For example, the European Union spends more 
for the promotion of wine ($255.36 million in 2017 alone) than the U.S. 
spends on the promotion of all commodities through both the MAP and FMD 
programs. If this trend continues, American producers will be severely 
disadvantaged in the global marketplace.
  Throughout their history, these successful public/private 
partnerships have cultivated hundreds of billions of dollars in 
exports, and created millions of American jobs, both in the agriculture 
sector and in support industries. Without these programs, it is very 
likely that the United States would not be the net agricultural 
exporter that we are today.

                          ____________________