Today’s House Ways & Means Committee hearing on trade featured an interesting exchange between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon.

In his testimony, Lighthizer discussed efforts to eliminate non-scientific trade barriers imposed on U.S. ag and food products by other countries. He was especially critical of the European Union’s claims that some U.S. food and ag products are unsafe, calling it “thinly-veiled protectionism”.

His comments were challenged by Blumenauer, who argued that the U.S.

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