Cameron Sorgenfrey stands among tall and short corn stalks in one of his fields, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Wyoming, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

On October 1st, the new President of Mexico – Claudia Sheinbaum – was officially sworn into office. While politics in Mexico may seem inconsequential to domestic affairs here in the United States, this development is very significant for our country, and particularly for our agricultural community.

In 2023, trade between the United States and Mexico nearly eclipsed $800 billion, and this year, we are expected to surpass that figure. Mexico also imported almost $30 billion in agricultural commodities – our second-largest market for agricultural exports – which included $5 billion in corn, our largest agricultural export to Mexico. However, because of unscientific restrictions on corn imports by the Mexican government, our corn exports to Mexico could plummet drastically if unresolved.

Back in 2020, outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued a decree effectively banning the import of American corn over unfounded and baseless concerns about the safety of genetically modified (GM) varieties. This action is beyond concerning – it would be devastating for our corn growers and our economy as 90% of our corn is genetically modified and 25% of our corn crop is exported to Mexico annually. According to some studies, this reckless decision could cause nearly $14 billion in losses for U.S. corn growers, cut $30.5 billion from U.S. GDP, and eliminate more than 32,000 American jobs.

With these economic ramifications front and center, the United States requested, in 2023, a formal dispute resolution under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – which was written and administered by the Trump administration on July 1, 2020 – to challenge Mexico’s proposed ban on GM corn. While this process remains ongoing, I felt that we needed to convey to the Biden-Harris administration that we must keep the pressure on Mexico and protect our corn farmers.

That’s why – as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee which handles trade matters – I led 20 of my colleagues urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to continue to engage with the newly inaugurated President of Mexico over Mexico’s ban on GM corn imports and other trade barriers affecting American businesses. In our letter, we outlined the massive uncertainty that this ban creates for our producers and financial consequences that would follow if this decree were allowed to take effect. Additionally, with a review of USMCA due in 2026, we further requested a briefing from USTR on the status of the dispute with Mexico over the GM corn ban and current preparations being made to ensure that we defend our corn growers from these baseless attacks.

We have a responsibility and an obligation to our corn farmers – and every industry that overlaps with the production of corn – to resolve this dispute in a timely fashion and ensure that Mexico’s ban on American corn cannot take effect. Serving on both the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, I will continue to work with my fellow lawmakers and demand action from the Biden-Harris administration to deliver certainty and relief for our corn growers.

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Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House.