Combest Commends Administration, Vows 'All Options' Review

December 8, 1999

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) has promised to do "everything I can" to make certain U.S. farmers are not at a disadvantage in international trade, given the lack of a final negotiating framework from the Seattle talks. He commended U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and agricultural trade Ambassador Peter Scher "for hanging tough" during the talks.

Combest has promised to revisit farm policy next year in earnest with a review of the effectiveness of the 1996 farm law. In a statement earlier this week, he indicated he was willing to make U.S. farmers competitive in international markets even if that meant an international bidding war. "I want our farmers to know I will do everything I can to make sure America's `bid' in the war is competitive," he said.

The Seattle talks offered "a great opportunity to agree to future negotiations that would level the agricultural playing field, including the elimination of foreign subsidies that put U.S. farmers and ranchers at a significant disadvantage," Combest said. Although he had hoped an agreement could be reached to proceed with agricultural negotiations, "no agreement is better than a bad one."

Since there is no finalized framework, he added, "I believe the agriculture committee should review all of our options for our own programs...I want to look at everything available to us and consider steps to ensure our farmers are not disadvantaged." That includes doing "everything I can to guarantee" that U.S. farmers do not have to compete with foreign governments in the trade arena.

The Clinton Administration will submit a farm bill proposal in time for Combest's policy review, White House Chief of Staff John Podesta said. Speaking to a Farm Journal forum, Podesta promised "ideas on countercyclical income support and ways to make conservation work better," Congress Daily reports. Dean Kleckner told the conference he opposed a return to "failed programs of supply control," according to new reports.

Although a framework for agricultural negotiations was not finalized in Seattle, the Uruguay Round agreement mandates that agricultural negotiations begin in 2000. It is expected that talks will resume at the working group level in Geneva next month.