States findings of the Legislature and supports domestic production and supply of sugar beets.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 110 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A JOINT MEMORIAL1 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESEN-2 TATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, THE CONGRESSIONAL3 DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED4 STATES, THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE AMBASSADOR, THE SECRE-5 TARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, AND THE SECRETARY OF6 THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.7 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives8 of the State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the9 Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:10 WHEREAS, Idaho is the second-largest producer of sugar beets in the11 United States, with approximately 170,000 acres of sugar beet farmland under12 production, generating more than $1 billion annually and supporting over 50013 farm families; and14 WHEREAS, sugar beets are the heartbeat of Idaho's rural communities,15 sustaining farm families, processors, and local economies that depend on a16 strong agricultural base; and17 WHEREAS, Idaho's sugar processing industry employs approximately 2,00018 people, providing well-paying jobs in rural Idaho; and19 WHEREAS, the U.S. sugar market is experiencing a historic oversupply,20 largely driven by foreign imports that are benefiting from government subsi-21 dies and the dumping of sugar at prices below the cost of production, thereby22 eroding domestic sugar beet prices and forcing farmers to harvest at a loss;23 and24 WHEREAS, sugar beet market prices have declined by more than 42% over25 the past two years, placing severe financial strain on domestic producers;26 and27 WHEREAS, since the 2018 Farm Bill's enactment, on-farm production costs28 have increased by more than 30%, while interest costs have surged by 73%29 since 2020, thereby dramatically increasing the cost of operating a farm;30 and31 WHEREAS, since 2000, the U.S. sugar beet industry has been forced to32 close eleven sugar beet processing factories, resulting in lost processing33 capacity, lost jobs, and long-term economic harm to rural communities; and34 WHEREAS, President Trump's America First agenda prioritizes protecting35 American farmers and workers, confronting unfair foreign trade practices,36 and strengthening domestic supply chains critical to the nation's economy;37 and38 WHEREAS, the tier-2 over-quota duty on imported sugar is intended to39 function as a prohibitive safeguard against excessive foreign imports, en-40 suring fair trade practices and protecting domestic sugar beet growers and41 workers from unfairly traded sugar; and42

2 WHEREAS, the tier-2 duty has not been adjusted since 2000, reducing its1 effectiveness in preventing foreign sugar from entering the U.S. market at2 prices that undermine domestic production.3 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-4 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-5 resentatives concurring therein, that the Legislature urges immediate ac-6 tion to raise the tier-2 duty on imported sugar to restore its intended pro-7 tective function and to prioritize American farmers, workers, and rural com-8 munities.9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature respectfully calls on Con-10 gress and the Trump Administration to put American interests first by pre-11 venting policies that enrich foreign governments at the expense of American12 farmers and workers and to take decisive action to address the devastating13 effects of oversupply caused by unfairly traded imports.14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is15 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the16 President of the United States, the President of the Senate and the Speaker17 of the House of Representatives of Congress, the congressional delegation18 representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States, the19 United States Trade Representative Ambassador, the Secretary of the United20 States Department of Commerce, and the Secretary of the United States De-21 partment of Agriculture.22