New Bipartisan Effort Introduces Bill to Expand Export Program Funding

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would double support for two USDA export promotion programs. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are cosponsoring the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports Act (CREAATE Act). The bill would expand funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) to $400 million and increase funding for the Foreign Market Development Program by more than $34 million.

Senator Smith says funding for these two programs has remained largely stagnant for nearly 15 years. At their core, the programs are designed to help producers invest in and get traction with export markets, expanding profitability opportunities at home. The senators said they’d like to see the CREAATE Act included in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Read more on the recently introduced legislation here.