As we renegotiate the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and redefine our relationship with China, many of the national and local headlines have warned Americans the United States is headed for a trade war.
After China put forth a list of potential tariffs on American pork, soybeans, corn and beef, President Trump responded aggressively by threatening to add an additional $100 billion on Chinese goods to his initially proposed threat of $50 billion.
Farmers in Minnesota and across the nation have raised the red flag – and for good reason. The tariffs on soybeans and pork in particular would add to an already highly stressful line of work, one in which there is quite a bit of anxiety due to low commodity prices and reliance on factors outside their control.
The President’s aggressive tone is unsettling, but let’s take a look at what’s happened just in the past few days.
At the Boao Forum in Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised Beijing would open up its markets, cut China’s auto tariffs, and improve intellectual property protection.
Stocks soared following Xi’s comments, signaling a continued optimism for this President and what he has done for the economy.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced optimism of a high chance of reaching a win-win-win deal for Canada, the United States and Mexico in NAFTA negotiations.
These are growing signs of hope for our country. For too long, China has been allowed to get away with closed markets and trade manipulation, harming economies all over the world, including ours. And we know that NAFTA has needed a revamp for years.
Congress, meanwhile, can do its part by moving the 2018 Farm Bill forward. Instead, thanks to Democrat obstruction, it is stuck in unfounded rhetoric based on reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Despite their false claims that Republicans want to kick millions off the program, instead, our side is offering recipients a way up and off the program through work and training.
When farmers are working long days plus a second job to keep up with bills, requiring SNAP recipients to work or attend job training for 20 hours per week seems more than fair. (The training will be free and guaranteed to those who can’t find work.)
Once again, the hypocritical Democrats say they support our farmers but won’t do their part to help add some certainty to the market by allowing the bill to move to the next step, a committee markup.
Our farmers deserve full and fair access to ALL markets. I believe this President will continue to have America’s best interests at heart in every decision he makes, especially rural America and our farmers.