Durbin discusses Illinois agriculture with U.S. ambassador to China

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, met with Terry Brandstad, U.S. ambassador to China and former Iowa governor, to discuss Illinois agriculture, including President Donald Trump’s recently announced Phase 1 trade deal with China.

Durbin, D-Illinois, shared his concerns with the Trump administration’s “haphazard” trade approach with China and how soybean farmers in Illinois previously enjoyed a productive trade market with Chinese partners.

“As Ambassador Brandstad certainly knows, uncertainty is one of the worst enemies to a farmer,” Durbin said. “I agree that China must be held to account for unfair practices. But the president’s unpredictable trade war has done serious harm to farmers, and it’s time to give them the certainty they need to rebound from an incredibly difficult 2019. I appreciated Ambassador Brandstad’s commitment to helping our farmers succeed.”