Senator Rick Scott, along with a group of congressional colleagues, has formally expressed support for the Trump administration's decision to terminate the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico. In a letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the lawmakers commended the move as a critical step toward protecting American tomato growers and ensuring fair trade practices.
The letter—co-signed by Senators and Representatives, including Ashley Moody, Vern Buchanan, W. Gregory Steube, Byron Donalds, Daniel Webster, Mario Díaz-Balart, Scott Franklin, Carlos Giménez, and others—urges the administration to uphold the planned termination date of July 14, 2025. The lawmakers argue that the agreement has failed to safeguard U.S. producers from unfair pricing practices by Mexican exporters and that further delays would continue to harm the domestic industry.
Citing data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the lawmakers point out that the 2019 agreement, like its predecessors from 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2013, has not prevented the dumping of underpriced Mexican tomatoes in the U.S. market. As a result, American tomato producers have seen their market share shrink from approximately 80% in 1994 to just 30% today, while Mexico's share has increased to 70%.
In 2019, the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) conducted final investigations that found Mexican tomatoes were being sold in the U.S. at unfairly low prices, causing material injury to U.S. growers. These findings gave the domestic industry legal grounds for the imposition of antidumping duties. On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Court of International Trade upheld the Commerce Department's dumping determination.
Senator Scott emphasized that replacing the suspension agreement with an antidumping duty order is consistent with U.S. trade laws, the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The letter calls for strong enforcement of these measures to restore fair competition for U.S. tomato producers.
The lawmakers concluded by urging Secretary Lutnick to proceed with the termination as scheduled, stating, "American producers and growers have been harmed for years, and we cannot delay termination of this agreement any longer."
To read the full letter, click here.
For more information:
Sen. Rick Scott
Tel: +1 813 225 7040
www.rickscott.senate.gov
