It’s no secret that Georgia’s shrimpers are struggling to stay in business due to foreign imported shrimp that continues to saturate the market through unfair trade practices.
Not only is the price of foreign shrimp artificially lowered to undercut domestic producers, but it is also harvested in an unsustainable way, making it a product that is more harmful to the environment and personal health than its American-sourced equivalent. In fact, the price manipulation has gotten so bad that shrimpers can’t even cover the cost of their fishing trip with the profits from their harvest.
These are the kinds of inequities that President Trump is seeking to address through his tariff policies, and we are already seeing results from his America First leadership. For the first time in a long time, domestic shrimpers are able to compete on a level playing field, and with a superior product, this vital industry for our coast is stronger than ever.
But, we can’t take our foot off the gas now. We must continue to promote longstanding policies to prop up our shrimpers, who provide an important resource that our nation enjoys daily.
President Trump took the bold and necessary step of signing an executive order strengthening the U.S. fishing industry and restoring American seafood competitiveness. Now, it’s time for Congress to act.
I am proud to support the Save Our Shrimpers Act, a bill introduced by my friend and colleague Rep. Troy Nehls. This important piece of legislation will prohibit any U.S. taxpayer funds from being used by international financial institutions to finance any foreign shrimp farming, processing, or exporting. Frankly, this is commonsense; our taxpayer dollars should benefit us here at home, not help put our shrimpers out of business. We are literally paying for our own jobs to be wiped away, and it must end.
On top of that, this bill will also direct the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to produce a written report as to whether these requirements have been followed, adding an important layer of accountability and transparency. It’s one thing to pass a good bill, but it’s another to make sure that it is enforced. This provision will make sure that the Save Our Shrimpers Act has teeth.
Passing this bill is an important step towards protecting the American worker. We must stop China and other bad actors from putting hardworking men and women along Georgia’s coast out of business.
I am calling on Congress to quickly bring this bill up for a vote so that we can codify some of the progress President Trump has already made to protect our shrimpers and ensure that this industry, which is a key part of our district’s culture, is preserved for generations to come.
To our shrimpers – thank you for your hard work to feed the world!
