Sponsors (2)
The bill channels predictable MAP funding and targeted infrastructure support to strengthen specialty crop exports and transparency, but does so while repealing a major trade-promotion program and adding reporting that could cause trade friction and administrative costs—trading some direct grant funding and short-term export risk for longer-term market access tools and data.
U.S. specialty crop exporters and farmers get predictable, multi-year increases in Market Access Program (MAP) funding, improving resources for export promotion and market development.
U.S. specialty crop producers and exporters receive targeted investments and technical assistance to reduce post-harvest losses by improving foreign cold chain and port infrastructure, which can raise export volumes and farm incomes.
Exporters and policymakers gain better transparency through required public, machine-readable biennial reports analyzing foreign trade barriers and food-safety differences, helping firms target markets and informing enforcement decisions.
The repeal of the Supplemental Agricultural Trade Promotion Program eliminates a roughly $285 million annual program, cutting a major source of trade-promotion grant funding for exporters unless other funding offsets the loss.
Public identification of foreign food-safety differences and barriers could provoke trade tensions or retaliatory measures, risking short-term export disruptions for specialty crop producers and rural communities.
New reporting and analysis requirements impose additional administrative burden on USDA and USTR, potentially increasing compliance costs and diverting staff time from other services to exporters and states.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes USDA to use Market Access Program funds to support foreign market infrastructure assistance and requires a biennial public report analyzing barriers to U.S. specialty crop exports, with funding caps.
Authorizes USDA to use Market Access Program funds to contract with trade organizations and supply‑chain experts to assess and improve foreign market infrastructure—such as cold chains and ports—to reduce loss of U.S. agricultural commodities, and sets funding caps for FY2027 and later years. Requires a biennial, public, machine‑readable report (prepared with USTR) analyzing tariffs, quotas, sanitary and phytosanitary rules, import licensing, subsidies, and other foreign actions that create barriers or distort markets for U.S. specialty crops, and describing impacts and possible responses.
Official title: Amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to expand agricultural market access, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 2, 2026 by Adam Schiff · Last progress June 2, 2026