What This Bill Does
This bill amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend and expand two export promotion programs. The bill increases funding for programs that help American agricultural producers sell their products in foreign markets.
Who It Affects
Agricultural producers and communities that grow products like apples, cotton, beef, soybeans, rice, wheat, dairy, corn, citrus, wine, pork, peanuts, cranberries, lentils, tree nuts, timber, poultry, potatoes and seafood. The Department of Agriculture and private agricultural groups also are affected.
Key Provisions
• The bill extends the Market Access Program funding period from 2019 through 2023 to 2024 through 2029 (Sec. 3)
• The bill increases Market Access Program funding to a specific higher amount (Sec. 3)
• The bill extends the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program funding period from 2019 through 2023 to 2024 through 2029 (Sec. 3)
• The bill increases Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program funding to specific higher amounts (Sec. 3)
What Changes
If this becomes law, two agriculture export programs will receive increased funding and extended timelines. The programs will continue supporting American agricultural exports to foreign markets through 2029 instead of ending in 2023.
Important Definitions
None defined
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 176
To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend and expand the
Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Coop-
erator Program.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY 31, 2023
Mr. KING (for himself, Ms. ERNST, Ms. SMITH, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr.
GRASSLEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and re-
ferred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend
and expand the Market Access Program and the Foreign
Market Development Cooperator Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expanding Agricul-
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tural Exports Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
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Congress finds that—
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•S 176 IS
(1) between 1977 and 2019, the export pro-
1
motion programs of the Department of Agri-
2
culture—
3
(A)
have
added
an
average
of
4
$9,600,000,000 annually to the value of United
5
States agricultural exports, equal to a total of
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nearly $648,000,000,000, or 13.7 percent, in
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additional export revenue; and
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(B) have generated a net return of $24.50
9
for every dollar invested;
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(2) between 2002 and 2019, the export pro-
11
motion programs of the Department of Agri-
12
culture—
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(A) have contributed to the creation of up
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to 225,800 full- and part-time jobs across the
15
United States economy; and
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(B) have added up to $45,000,000,000 in
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gross economic output and $22,300,000,000 in
18
gross domestic product;
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(3) communities across the United States pro-
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ducing agricultural commodities as varied as apples,
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cotton, beef, soybeans, rice, wheat, dairy, corn, cit-
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rus, wine, pork, peanuts, cranberries, lentils, tree
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nuts, timber, poultry, potatoes, and seafood have uti-
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lized the export promotion programs of the Depart-
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•S 176 IS
ment of Agriculture to increase access to foreign
1
markets;
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(4) private sector contributions have helped
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maintain the public-private partnership between the
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Department of Agriculture and private agricultural
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groups as available funds from the Department of
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Agriculture have declined, with private contributions
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representing approximately 70 to 77 percent of the
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funds available for export promotion from 2013 to
9
2019;
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(5) foreign competitors have expanded their ag-
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ricultural export promotion programs at a far faster
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rate than the United States, placing United States
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producers at a competitive disadvantage in inter-
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national markets;
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(6) the economic impact of the export pro-
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motion programs of the Department of Agriculture
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has eroded in recent years, as funding for the Mar-
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ket Access Program has remained static since 2006
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and funding for the Foreign Market Development
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Cooperator Program has remained static since 2002,
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while inflation has increased; and
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(7) a recent academic analysis found that dou-
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bling public funding for the Market Access Program
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and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator
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•S 176 IS
Program, coupled with increasing private contribu-
1
tions ranging from 10 to 20 percent, would result in
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average annual gains in agricultural exports of ap-
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proximately $7,400,000,000.
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SEC. 3. AGRICULTURAL TRADE PROMOTION AND FACILITA-
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TION.
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Section 203(f) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978
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(7 U.S.C. 5623(f)) is amended—
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(1) in paragraph (2)—
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(A) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and
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inserting ‘‘2024 through 2029’’; and
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(B) by striking ‘‘$255,000,000’’ and in-
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serting ‘‘$489,500,000’’; and
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(2) in paragraph (3)(A)—
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(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by
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striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting
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‘‘2024 through 2029’’;
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(B)
in
clause
(i),
by
striking
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‘‘$200,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000,000’’;
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and
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(C)
in
clause
(ii),
by
striking
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‘‘$34,500,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$69,000,000’’.
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Æ
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