October 6, 2022

Winston Churchill’s quote imploring the forces of freedom to “never give in” has endured for more than 80 years as the marquee speech for stirring inner courage against those demanding we “yield to power.” Churchill’s words today live on in our hearts, as well as on coffee mugs, internet memes, and of course countless inspirational posters suitable for framing.

It would be comforting to see such a placard on the walls of organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the CATO Institute, or Citizens Against Government Waste, free-market groups at the forefront of a movement within conservative circles embracing a position of complete surrender on a key matter of U.S. trade and agriculture. With hearings for the 2023 Farm Bill already underway in Washington, the consequences of this stance take on critical importance at a time of global economic and supply chain uncertainty.

For all of the conservative movements’ rightful paroxysms regarding open borders, it is perplexing why those who champion free markets wish to throw open the trade border to an avalanche of heavily subsidized foreign sugar from nations such as China, India, and Brazil, among others. Such a policy would surely spell the end for U.S. farmers who would not be able to compete against a heavily subsidized foreign product sold at or below cost. We would further wave goodbye to the 151,000 jobs our domestic sugar industry supports, and the $23 billion it presently contributes to our economy.

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