Letter: On trade, Central Valley farmers need practical voices like Cox’s

That international economy is why our elected officials have to be diplomats, rather than partisans; and it’s what I appreciate so much about Congressman TJ Cox. 

I raise Almonds outside of Kingsburg, and Cox has listened extensively to farmers like me across the district as we discuss the challenges facing agricultural trade right now. On the one hand, we do not support the president’s trade war, because it has cost us millions in demand in places like China and Latin America. On the other, trade deals like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement mean expanded markets for the things I and my fellow Central Valley farmers produce. 

Rather than take the partisan line and bash the president, Cox has worked together with Republicans in Congress and the administration to ensure the USMCA works for California farmers, and when he secured those wins, he backed the agreement and urged his fellow Democrats to do the same.

In a hyper-partisan Washington, we need more of Cox’s brand of leadership, focused on what constituents need, rather than on the party-line message.

Matt Rogers

Kingsburg