Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was so excited that China will begin buying American beef this summer that he sent three emojis to a member of Congress to communicate his pleasure.
Perdue texted Texas Republican Rep. Mike Conaway, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, after officials announced a bi-lateral trade deal to open Chinese markets for American beef by July, allowing American producers to export meat there for the first time in 13 years.
Conaway reminded Perdue of his three-emoji text during the secretary’s first appearance before the Agriculture Committee Wednesday, and Perdue tweeted a screenshot of his message later in the day.
At @HouseAgNews hearing today, I was reminded I sent emoji text to Chairman @ConawayTX11 about news of U.S. beef to China. Here’s the text: pic.twitter.com/TawE887EO3
— Sec. Sonny Perdue (@SecretarySonny) May 17, 2017
Perdue said during the hearing that even though parts of the farm economy is in “dire straights,” trade can help rural businesses through tough times.
“When the Chinese people taste our high-quality U.S. beef, there’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll want more of it,” Perdue said in a statement May 12. (RELATED: Trump’s Ag Secretary Convinced China Will Love America’s Juicy Beef)
“This is tremendous news for the American beef industry, the agriculture community, and the U.S. economy in general,” Perdue said. “We will once again have access to the enormous Chinese market, with a strong and growing middle class, which had been closed to our ranchers for a long, long time.”
Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter
Send tips to thomas@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.