House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) led 21 Members of Congress in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging continued efforts to improve competition in agricultural input markets. The letter seeks to address rising costs faced by farmers and ranchers across rural America.
The group commended the Trump administration for enforcing antitrust laws through the USDA-DOJ Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to promote fair competition for agricultural inputs. The lawmakers also called for a review of federal policies that may hinder competition and requested a list of regulations that could be changed to lower input prices.
“Rising input costs coupled with low commodity prices have fueled an economic crisis in Rural America, and it’s why the efforts by your agencies to promote competition in the agricultural input marketplace are critical for our nation’s farmers and ranchers,” the letter states. “As you partner to ensure a competitive supply chain for our farmers and ranchers, we request that you respond to this letter… with a list of regulations across all agencies that impede competition in the marketplace for agricultural inputs.”
Gary Adams, President and CEO of the National Cotton Council, said: “Rising costs for fertilizer, seed, and equipment have placed enormous strain on farmers across the Cotton Belt. To help these producers, we must address unnecessary regulatory burdens and ensure that agricultural input markets remain fair and competitive. The National Cotton Council appreciates the leadership of Representative Arrington and other Members of Congress for bringing attention to these challenges.”
Jed Bower, Ohio farmer and President of the National Corn Growers Association, added: “Corn growers nationwide just finished a third consecutive year of net negative returns. Input prices remain at near-record highs as corn prices per bushel have sharply dropped. That’s why NCGA appreciates the efforts by Rep. Arrington and other members Congress to address the root causes of high input costs while supporting competition.”
Barry Evans, Board Member of the National Sorghum Producers, commented: “Farmers continue to face rising input costs and limited competition. Enforcing existing antitrust laws and reviewing regulatory barriers are important steps toward promoting fairness and choice in the agricultural marketplace.”
Arrington was joined by Representatives Barry Moore (AL-01), Rick Allen (GA-12), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Michael Cloud (TX-27), Derek Schmidt (KS-02), Paul A. Gosar (AZ-09), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), W. Gregory Steube (FL-17), Julia Letlow (LA-05), Keith Self (TX-03), Mike Bost (IL-12), Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL), Ben Cline (VA-06), Mary Miller (IL-15), Roger Williams (TX-25), Mark Harris (NC-08), Sam Graves (MO-06), Pete Sessions (TX-17), David Kustoff (TN-08), Rick Crawford (AR-01) and Lauren Boebert (CO-04).
Jodey Arrington has consistently won his congressional elections by large margins since 2016.
