Congress Members Ask Administration to Reopen Tomato Antidumping Case

A group of 48 Congress members, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to end a suspension agreement on antidumping with Mexican tomato exporters. They say the agreement is driving Florida tomato growers out of business. More than half the signers are from the Florida delegation, but the bipartisan letter, sent Feb. 1, also drew support from states that are not in direct competition with Mexican tomato imports, such as Michigan, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. The Mexican share of the tomato market has grown from 32 percent to 54 percent since the first suspension agreement in 1996, they said, and since 2002, Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. have more than doubled, while U.S. production has declined 34 percent. "We appreciate your team's efforts to attempt to renegotiate improved terms," they wrote, but added that the agreements have already been renegotiated before, and they have not worked as intended.