Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen is touting ‘good news’ for the state following the Trump administration’s new trade deal with the United Kingdom.
Under the deal announced today, the U.K. will reduce non-tariff barriers to U.S. products, including beef, ethanol fuel, machinery and chemicals, according to Trump. The 10% baseline tariff that the U.S. has placed on dozens of countries will remain in place, while duties on British vehicles will fall from 25% to 10% to match that baseline, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
This is the first agreement the U.S. has reached since the president imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners during his first 100 days in office.
“Trade matters to Nebraska because our farmers and ranchers produce the absolute best – and feed the world,” said Gov. Pillen in a statement. “America’s relationship with the U.K. is longstanding, and there is great potential for expanded trade between our countries. President Trump and his administration know that we need more trade with fewer barriers, and they are working around the clock to finalize trade deals with partners across the globe. That’s good news for Nebraska.”
In 2021, Nebraska’s beef exports amounted to $1.64 billion, 15 percent of total U.S. exports, according to the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Nebraska produces about 13% of the nation’s fuel ethanol and is the second-largest ethanol producer after Iowa, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.