Former Agriculture Secretaries seek pasage of Trans-Pacific Partnership

A bipartisan group of former U.S. Agriculture Secretaries wants to see Congress pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership because the new markets would help farmers and rural communities.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership would open new trade markets in Japan, Vietnam and other Pacific countries that would in turn grow the United States economy.

In the letter, the former secretaries reiterate that they have and always will be invested in negotiations the United States makes that involve agriculture. They say trading with Asian nations would dramatically enhance the demand for U.S. food because the population is booming in Asian countries.

In addition to the economic benefits, the former secretaries say the partnership would continue to solidify the working relationships with the countries which can be good for both foreign policy and national security. The former secretaries know that no agreement, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is ever perfect but that should not deter Congress from passing it.

According to the former secretaries, there is no downside of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for the U.S.

The former secretaries who participated and signed the letter are John Block, Mike Espy, Dan Glickman, Mike Johanns, Ed Schafer, Ann Veneman and Clayton Yeutter.