Two senators asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate John Deere, CNH, and others
A bipartisan letter from two U.S. senators asks Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate the operations of some major ag manufacturers.
A March 26 signed by Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), and Republican Senator Bernie Moreno (Ohio), calls on Lutnick to open a Section 232 investigation on imports of farm and construction equipment.
“Comprehensive trade remedies are needed to hold companies accountable for offshoring jobs and compel the industry to move these manufacturing jobs back to the United States,” the senators wrote.
Under a Section 232 investigation, the commerce department looks into whether specific imports threaten national security.
If the investigation proves imports of those products are a threat, the president can place tariffs or import quotas on those goods.
In their letter the senators name John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar directly.
Instead of supporting American workers, these companies are moving production south to lower overhead costs and increase profits.
“These companies should not be allowed to eliminate American jobs, pay Mexican workers poverty wages, and then ship products back to the U.S. for additional profit on the backs of our communities,” the letter to Lutnick says.
“These companies and their executives should not be rewarded for destroying American jobs or permitted to import their products without facing a penalty.”
The senators “firmly support” specific tariffs to protect domestic manufacturing.
John Deere has laid off several workers over the last year.
Upwards of 2,000 John Deere employees have lost their jobs since the middle of last year.
Despite that, Deere says it is committed to American manufacturing.
In a June 2025 notice on its website, for example, the company highlighted its promise to invest $20 billion in the U.S. in the next 10 years.
In 2024 CNH Industrial announced plans to reduce its U.S. workforce by more than 200 people and relocate those positions to Mexico.
And since the USMCA’s full implementation in July 2020, estimates show the U.S. manufacturing sector has lost more than 576,000 jobs, with many positions moved to Mexico.