I introduced legislation, which became law, requiring daily price reporting by packers. I also introduced a bill establishing the position of Special Counsel for Agriculture in the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. Shortly after the bill was introduced, the Attorney General responded by creating the position and appointed Mr. Douglas Ross. I have been an outspoken advocate for expanding trade. In Indiana, over one-third of agriculture production is exported.
Overseas sales mean jobs on the farm.
American farmers will not fully reap the benefits of their productivity unless markets are expanded. I have introduced bipartisan bills to reform U.S. unilateral sanctions policy and to exempt food and medicine from sanctions. Farmers should not needlessly be denied markets by their own government. I have supported normal trade relations with China, fast-track negotiating authority for the President, and aggressive negotiating to knock down foreign barriers to our farm products. I authored a bill that was signed into law this year to expand research into cost-effective biofuels made from anything that grows, including weeds and agricultural wastes.