Washington state farmers and growers have told U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that retaliatory Mexican tariffs are having a devastating impact on the state's agriculture industry.
In spring 2009, Mexico imposed tariffs of 10 percent to 45 percent on 90 U.S. exports ranging from pears to shampoo after the U.S. Congress pulled funding for a cross-border pilot trucking program designed to comply with the North American Free Trade Agreement. Under the program, several dozen Mexican motor carriers that met U.S. highway safety standards were permitted to make deliveries beyond the border zone in the interior of the country.
Congress terminated the program citing safety concerns with Mexican trucks and drivers. Mexico last month announced a second round of tariffs on U.S. goods as a result of the ongoing cross-border trucking dispute.
