SHAHEEN: OUTDATED SUGAR POLICY HURTS U.S. CONSUMERS

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen released the following statement after the USDA announced its intention to adjust sugar import quotas for 2011. (See USDA release here)

“People in New Hampshire and across the country suffer from an outdated sugar policy that benefits sugar producers at the expense of consumers and businesses. Today’s announcement by the USDA that they will adjust regulations on sugar sales in the United States once again highlights an unnecessary government program desperately in need of reform.”

“Currently, sugar is the most tightly controlled commodity in the U.S. market. Government price supports for the sugar industry keep the cost of U.S. sugar artificially high, nearly twice the world price, which causes significant problems for consumers and sugar-using industries. I’ll continue to fight against these support programs and work for the passage of my SUGAR Act, which will phase out sugar price supports and save consumers billions of dollars.”

In an effort to repeal the federal government's costly sugar support program, Senator Shaheen recently introduced the Stop Unfair Giveaways and Restrictions (SUGAR) Act. This bipartisan legislation would phase out the sugar support program in order to save money for consumers and bring jobs back to American workers.

The SUGAR Act is S. 25.