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Syngenta policy lead concerned trade is an afterthought in Washington
The government relations manager for one of the world’s largest agribusinesses is concerned trade isn’t getting the attention it deserves in Washington.
Syngenta’s Mary Kay Thatcher says she recently met with several members of Congress who shared their priorities with her.
“Out of the seven or eight senators, not one of them mentioned trade. Which just seemed very odd to me.”
She tells Brownfield trade does not seem to be a priority in the White House either.
“I know when President Biden came in, he talked about working on domestic issues (like) COVID and the economy, and that’s a fair statement. But (now) he’s been in office for a while and we need to really gin up some of our trade agenda, we need to think about Trade Promotion Authority.”
Thatcher says until Congress reauthorizes TPA, President Biden cannot negotiate any major trade deals.
“And very importantly, we have got to focus more on the enforcement of the current trade agreements and making sure we’re getting them right.”
She points to Mexico’s threats to ban GMO corn and says the U.S. needs to be more engaged.
