Urge Congress to ensure trade policy supports family farms, not corporations

hres1286119

Calling for a trade ...

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Bill ID

hres1286-119

TITLE

Calling for a trade policy that supports workers, consumers, independent farmers, small businesses, and the environment.

STATUS

Last Action on 05/14/2026: [1025] Submitted in House

COMMITTEES

VERSIONS

Farmers support free trade for working families

email advocacy

Urge Congress to ensure trade policy supports family farms, not corporations

Dear [Your Elected Official],

For too long, U.S. trade agreements have benefitted large-scale corporate agribusinesses, to the detriment of small- and mid-scale farmers here in the U.S. and abroad. Producers and consumers need a fair trade policy that ensures stable markets, local economic vitality, transparency, and safe and affordable food for all.

To achieve this, Congress must urge trade negotiators to support policies like mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL), strong antitrust enforcement that protects market competition in the food system, and public investments in small- and mid-scale farms and the farmers who steward them.

Thankfully, Fair Trade for Working Families (H.Res. 1286) would do just that.

The Fair Trade for Working Families resolution is a new plan for trade and is supported by our nation's leading labor, consumer, environmental, fair trade, and family farm organizations. It puts the interests of working people and communities ahead of multinational corporate interests and billionaire CEOs, including policy proposals that would guarantee fair wages, reduce job offshoring, stop abuses by Big Tech, end corporate special rights, and promote a healthy environment.

As the Trump administration continues to negotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), it’s time for Congress to insist trade officials push the Fair Trade for Working Families agenda in ongoing USMCA talks.

Historically and into the present, corporate-written free trade agreements have negatively impacted the ability of our food and fiber producers to stay on the land and in business and thrive, both in the U.S. and abroad. These issues are far too important to be negotiated in the shadows, often at the bidding of multinational food and agriculture corporations — not family farmers or our communities, economies, and national security.

If you haven’t yet cosponsored Fair Trade for Working Families (H.Res. 1286), please do so today. And please urge the Trump administration to use the Fair Trade for Working Families blueprint in the USMCA renegotiation and other ongoing trade negotiations.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your City & State]

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Summary

For too long, trade deals have helped greedy corporations monopolize the food system. Whether creating markets for mega-farms that depend on exporting mass-produced commodities abroad, or importing cheap beef that undercuts independent U.S. ranchers, the "free trade" model in agriculture has hurt small- and mid-scale farms for decades. There is another way. This Fair Trade for Working Families Week, we are excited to share the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/1286">"Fair Trade for Working Families" resolution (H.Res. 1286)</a>, a new plan for trade backed by the National Family Farm Coalition, Citizens Trade Campaign, Public Citizen, and other leading family farm, labor, consumer, environmental, and fair trade organizations.   Please urge your Members of Congress to demand that trade officials use the Fair Trade for Working Families plan in ongoing trade negotiations. The Fair Trade for Working Families blueprint puts the interests of working people and communities ahead of billionaire CEOs and other corporate interests. It includes policy proposals that would guarantee fair wages, bring jobs back to the U.S., ensure safe food, strengthen family farms, stop abuses by Big Tech, end corporate special rights, promote a healthy environment, and more.  In the context of food and agriculture, the resolution recognizes the importance of policies that Congress should support during trade negotiations, like: <ul> <li>Mandatory country-of-origin labeling, an important tool that helps ranchers get a fair price for their livestock and consumers know where their food comes from;</li> <li>Greater enforcement of antitrust laws to break up the big corporations that dominate the food system, and;</li> <li>More public investments in small- and mid-scale family farms.</li> </ul> As President Trump continues negotiating new secretive deals, he is also renegotiating the biggest trade deal of either of his terms in office — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA has failed to achieve any of its promises - it has not created jobs, raised wages, or protected consumers or the environment. Trade agreements impact the quality of our jobs, our wages, our food, our environment, and more. To date, these deals have not lived up to politician's promises, and they are far too important to continue being negotiated in the shadows. It’s time for Congress to insist trade officials adopt the Fair Trade for Working Families plan in ongoing negotiations.

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