Nehls Introduces Bill to Protect American Shrimpers

Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) and six of his congressional colleagues have introduced the Save Our Shrimpers Act of 2024 in a bipartisan fashion.

The legislation attempts to “prohibit federal funds from being made available to IFI’s (international financial institutions) to finance any activity relating to shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp in any foreign country to the United States.”

Rep. Nehls claims that foreign shrimp is causing American shrimp businesses to struggle to compete. Moreover, he claims IFIs are using taxpayer dollars to finance foreign shrimp companies despite federal law – USC 262(h) – demanding the U.S. Treasury Department to “instruct United States Executive Directors at International Monetary Institutions to vote against any assistance by such institutions that facilitates an export commodity surplus that causes injury or harm to United States producers.”

The Save Our Shrimpers Act of 2024 would also call upon the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress if IFIs are complying with federal law.

“Due to the global excess capacity and production of farm-raised shrimp and imports, the U.S. market is being overwhelmed and driving shrimp prices down to levels that many shrimpers cannot cover the cost of a single shrimp fishing trip,” said Rep. Nehls. “Shrimpers in the 22nd Congressional District of Texas, along the Gulf Coast, and Atlantic Coast are faced with similar difficult decisions of whether to catch shrimp, tie up the trawlers for the season, or even be forced to sell their trawlers.

“In order to save our nation’s shrimping industry, we must exhaust every legislative option on the table. I commend my colleagues for joining me in support of this important effort to save our shrimpers,” concluded Nehls.

Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) said “We must put an end” to subsidized foreign shrimp.

“Foreign shrimp imports continue to wreak havoc on South Texas’s shrimping industry,” said Rep. Gonzalez. “Our domestic seafood markets are flooded with foreign farm-raised shrimp which are subsidized by our federal dollars. We must put an end to this! That is why I’m proud to co-lead this bill to deter International Financial Institutions from financing foreign shrimpers with U.S. taxpayer money. We must do everything in our power to help the thousands of struggling shrimpers across the country.”

Alongside Congressmen Nehls and Gonzalez, Representatives Clay Higgins (R-LA), Garret Graves (R-LA), Mike Ezell (R-MS), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Barry Moore (R-AL) joined the effort introducing the legislation.