Harris, Colleagues to Lighthizer: No Trade Negotiations with Brazil Until Bolsonaro Protects the Amazon
September 6, 2019
U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Friday joined Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 8 of their Democratic colleagues in urging U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to postpone any trade negotiations with Brazil until President Jair Bolsonaro fully enforces his country’s environmental laws and regulations to protect the Amazon from continued illegal deforestation. In the letter, the senators also called on Lighthizer to swiftly resolve the U.S.-China trade war which has disrupted global trade patterns and driven China to rely increasingly on Brazil for beef and soybeans. As a result, and in contravention of its environmental regulations, Brazil is clearing more of the Amazon for agriculture.