Letter: Thanks Ted Yoho for supporting jobs and agriculture

Letter: Thanks Ted Yoho for supporting jobs and agriculture

Matt Sutton
Atlantic Beach, Florida

Dear Historic City News editor:

As more and more groups try to create an unsuspecting, negative narrative about the agricultural industry, and more specifically sugar, I would like to personally give thanks this holiday season to Congressman Yoho for supporting our American agricultural industry and standing up for the American jobs that our industry creates.

In a time when foreign competitors and their American supporters are working to manipulate the commodity markets – which threatens to put the American agricultural industry out of business – it is refreshing to see our state’s Member of Congress do the right thing by supporting America and our nation’s sugar beet and cane farmers. It is refreshing to get support for our American agricultural industry and know that there are people out there who will stand up for the American jobs that our industry creates.

That’s because current policy, regarding the sugar beet and cane farmers, has not cost taxpayers a dime in 16 out of 17 years and has even ensured tens of thousands of American agricultural jobs are safe-guarded from predatory trade policies that have been enacted by foreign competitors. Shockingly, there are American companies looking to support these predatory policies and outsource farming we can do right here at home.

Our country’s farmers work hard to ensure that we as Americans always have food on our tables, but that job gets harder every day as they continue to face challenges brought on by bad policies that don’t support our farmers. Those challenges include language that outlines unfair trade practices, and this proposed legislation that, unfortunately, some members of Congress are supporting that will put thousands of American farming jobs at risk, which is not only un-American, it flies in the face of one of our region’s biggest industries.

That is why I thank Congressman Yoho for his service to our state on this issue and support him for standing up for American jobs and American agriculture by supporting a strong, pro-American sugar policy. It’s the right thing to do.