Overview
- In a Jan. 16 letter, Republican Senators Kevin Cramer and Steve Daines urged President Trump to seek favorable pulse-crop provisions in any U.S.–India trade agreement.
- The lawmakers noted that North Dakota and Montana are the top U.S. producers of pulses and that India consumes about 27% of the world’s pulses.
- They cited India’s 30% tariff on yellow peas announced Oct. 30, 2025 and effective Nov. 1, 2025 as a barrier that disadvantages American exporters.
- Negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement remain active but unresolved, with agriculture a key sticking point after USTR set terms of reference last year.
- The senators referenced Trump’s 2020 hand-delivery of a similar appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pointed to recent tariff frictions in 2025 that have strained ties.