On the recordMay 14, 2019
I rise because I am deeply concerned about what is happening across the country to our farmers as a result of the President's trade war with China. Let me first say, I agree with the President 100 percent that we need fair trade deals and that we have to make sure American workers and consumers are not being taken for a ride by other countries, especially rogue countries and bad actors like China. Yet, since this trade war began last year, these tariffs are having the complete opposite effect on the people they are supposed to help. That is because tariffs are taxes, plain and simple. Tariffs are taxes, and they are being raised every day by the administration. The President insists that tariffs force China to pay money to the U.S. Treasury, which is just not true. It is just not factually accurate at all. It is also misleading to the American people. When a tariff is placed on a Chinese good, it is the American company that is importing that product, in addition to the American consumer who ultimately buys it, that pays that additional price. It is just like adding a sales tax to any consumer good or to any commodity on which a tariff has been levied. From businesses to farmers, to consumers, these taxes are being paid for by Americans. That is not politics; that is economics. The President thinks these tariffs will somehow punish China for its bad behavior, but it is our people who are suffering right now.…
