A group of senators has introduced a bill to double funding for the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program.
The bill, the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports (CREAATE) Act of 2022, was introduced by Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
The legislation would increase MAP mandatory funding to $400 million and FMD funding to $69 million. “A recent econometric study conducted by agricultural economists at IHS Market and Texas A&M University predicted that doubling funding for these programs would generate an additional $44.4 billion in U.S. agricultural exports over the 2024-2029 time period,” the coalition said. Official text for the bill has not yet been released.
