North Carolina’s congressional delegation is leaning hard on President Donald J. Trump to make tobacco a headline item on his upcoming trip to China, casting the crop as an economic lifeline for swaths of the state’s countryside.
In a May 6 letter, publicly circulated on May 11, lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Ted Budd warned that tariffs or any hit to access in key overseas markets could land squarely on already thin farm incomes.
Budd posted the appeal on X, sharing a copy of the letter and urging the president to “prioritize American tobacco” in his talks with President Xi. As reported by Reuters, Mr. Trump is scheduled to be in Beijing on May 14–15, making the request a last-minute addition to a packed summit agenda. The post is available on X.
North Carolina, a leading U.S. tobacco exporter, produces 260.1M pounds annually, accounting for over 60% of the national output. Access to global markets is vital for our farmers & economy. As @POTUS visits China, I urge him to prioritize American tobacco in his talks with President Xi.
— Sen. Ted Budd (@SenTedBuddNC) May 11, 2026
What the Lawmakers Asked For
The May 6 letter asks the president to press Chinese officials for stronger market access for U.S. leaf and finished tobacco products. It also underscores that “Access to global markets is vital for our farmers & economy,” according to the copy posted on X.
The version attached to Budd’s post bears signatures from multiple North Carolina members of Congress, including Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. David Rouzer, Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D., and Rep. John J. McGuire III, among others.
North Carolina’s Tobacco Footprint
North Carolina still sits at the top of the U.S. tobacco heap. Recent Census-era figures put the state’s annual production at about 260.1 million pounds, roughly 60 percent of total U.S. output.
That concentration supports a web of processing plants and farms whose margins often depend on export contracts, according to Tobacco Free Kids.
Why China Matters
China has long been a heavyweight buyer of U.S. flue-cured tobacco, snapping up as much as 60 to 80 million pounds in strong years. Industry analysts say volumes at that level can absorb a sizable share of North Carolina’s leaf.
Historic trade patterns and state export efforts have left Beijing’s market especially important for North Carolina leaf merchants and packers, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
What Comes Next
It is unclear whether tobacco will actually make the cut in leader-level talks, as trade, security and other flashpoints vie for attention. As noted by Reuters, the summit is expected to cover a sweeping range of strategic issues well beyond commodity sales, so any concrete move on tobacco would land inside a larger diplomatic package.
For North Carolina growers already coping with smaller acreage and shifting demand, the delegation’s appeal is a reminder that big-stage diplomacy can ripple down to local packing houses and county fairgrounds. Farmers and exporters say they will be listening closely for any specific promises once U.S. officials return from Beijing.
