WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott thanked the Department of Commerce for officially withdrawing from and terminating the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement, a move he has long championed as a critical step toward restoring fairness for Florida's growers. 

This announcement comes after Senator Scott’s recent letter to and call with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, where he outlined the ways this agreement failed growers and allowed Mexico’s tomato exports to flood the domestic market. At Senator Scott’s urging, the Trump administration was quick to protect American businesses and producers from unfair foreign trade practices, and in April, Senator Scott applauded the administration’s initial decision to terminate the agreement after he spent years asking the Biden administration to fix it.  

Senator Rick Scott said, “For too long, Joe Biden allowed our markets to be flooded with artificially cheap, Mexican tomatoes grown with child and forced labor, making it hard for our producers to keep up. This is an incredible win for America's growers and producers. I've fought hard to get this done, and after years of the Biden administration refusing to take action and protect our growers and producers, President Trump and Secretary Lutnick are putting Americans first and standing up for Florida’s agriculture industry.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, “Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes. That ends today. This rule change is in line with President Trump’s trade policies and approach with Mexico.” 

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