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June 11, 2020 | Press Releases

Steube Bill Protects Florida Citrus, Prohibits Harmful Chinese Commercial Imports

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the U.S. Citrus Protection Act, legislation which would prohibit the importation of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China.

“As farmers and ranchers in Florida and across the country are struggling to cope with the decreased demand for their products as a result of the economic shutdowns, more than ever we need to put America first and cannot give foreign entities a competitive advantage,” Steube said. “Communist China is responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent economic damages that have impacted our nation’s farmers, and now they are trying to profit off of our hardship.”

Florida has over 47,000 commercial farms and ranches and is ranked first in the U.S. in value of production of oranges and grapefruits with oranges’ annual production value over $1.07 billion. Florida’s 17th District produces more citrus than any other congressional district in the United States.

The full text of the legislation can be found here here.