As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy, Sen. Thune is working to open new markets to South Dakota products and to level the playing field for America’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers.
Highlights of Sen. Thune’s Commitment to South Dakota Exports:
- Eliminating Barriers to South Dakota’s Agricultural Exports:
- Sen. Thune has worked to ensure that foreign nations cannot unfairly block South Dakota products by working to include new rules in the new Trade Promotion Authority law that limits the ability of future trade agreement partners to impose unscientific restrictions on American agricultural exports.
- Sponsored the Digital Trade Act of 2013 to Update Trade Rules for the Digital Age:
- Key elements of Thune’s bill were incorporated into the Trade Promotion Authority legislation that was signed into law in June 2015, including a provision to prevent foreign governments from requiring U.S. businesses to store and process data in the foreign nation in order to do business there.
- Helped Lead the Effort to Make Trade Easier for Small Businesses:
- Sen. Thune introduced legislation to streamline the ability of small businesses to import products they need, without unnecessary paperwork and duties.
- Implementation of the new law by CBP will make it easier for small business owners in America to sell online to customers around the world through Ebay, Etsy, and other platforms.
- Helped Protect Americans from Unfairly Traded Foreign Products:
- Sen. Thune helped protect South Dakota’s honey producers from unfairly subsidized imports of Chinese honey by making it more difficult for Chinese honey to be transshipped through other nations to avoid tariffs.
