The U.S. trade deficit ballooned 14 percent to a record high of 140.5 billion U.S. dollars in March, as businesses stockpiled goods to get ahead of sweeping tariffs President Donald Trump imposed the following month.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that the goods and services deficit in March went up 17.3 billion dollars from 123.2 billion dollars in February. March exports were 278.5 billion dollars, 500 million dollars more than February exports. March imports were 419.0 billion dollars, up 17.8 billion dollars from February imports.
An export slide that began in early 2025 has reached most ports across the United States, with the U.S. agricultural sector and top farm products including soybeans, corn and beef taking the hardest hit, according to trade tracker Vizion in a CNBC report.
Ports data showed the U.S. farming sector lacks the ability to move products out to global markets.
The Port of Portland, Oregon, tops the list with a 51-percent slump in exports, while the Port of Tacoma, Washington, a large agricultural export port, has seen a 28-percent decrease.
According to Ben Tracy, vice president of strategic business development at Vizion, nearly all of U.S. exports have taken a hit.
US trade deficit hits record with big plunge in farm produce exports
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.
In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.
Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.
The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.
Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.
Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.
He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.
He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.
Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation
