As President Trump continued appointing key personnel through the second quarter of the year, USApple proactively engaged with senior officials across the Administration to advocate on a wide range of issues impacting apple growers.
We met with high-level staff and leadership from:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Department of Labor (DOL)
- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
- The White House
- Office of the Speaker of the House – Rep. Mike Johnson
Priority issues discussed include:
- Agricultural labor
- H-2A bureaucratic delays
- Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) reform
- Tariffs on apples in export markets
- Non-tariff trade barriers (e.g., sanitary/phytosanitary rules)
- Research project funding
- Government purchases of apples and apple products
- Pesticide residue testing regulations