[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 59 (Thursday, April 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TARIFFS ARE HARMING FARMERS AND RANCHERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Cleaver) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about a very 
important issue to my constituents in Missouri's Fifth Congressional 
District and, frankly, millions of farmers and ranchers all across this 
great country.
  Recently, President Donald Trump announced his intention to place a 
$50 billion--that is billion with a ``B''--in tariffs against Chinese 
goods, claiming that China has been taking advantage of the United 
States for too long. I wish that someone in the White House, someone on 
the staff had cautioned the President on the negative impact his 
launching of a trade war would have on this country. This unvetted 
decision has and will continue to cause significant harm to many of my 
constituents and to rural Americans throughout the heartland.
  Following President Trump's announcement of his intended tariffs, 
predictively, the Chinese responded with $50 billion in proposed 
tariffs of their own. These tariffs, which would be as high as 25 
percent, would target 128 American products such as pork, beef, cotton, 
soybeans, corn, specific types of vehicles, and airplanes.
  First, I want to talk about soybeans. Last year, the United States 
exported $14 billion worth of soybeans to China. In Missouri, my home 
State, soybeans are the number one cash crop, contributing $7.7 billion 
in total output and supporting more than 20,000 jobs in our State.
  One out of every three rows of soybeans grown in Missouri goes to 
China, and one in every four rows grown in the United States goes to 
China. The day the Chinese announcement was made, soybean futures on 
the stock market were down almost $0.40 a bushel. This was only after 
the tariffs were announced. Can you imagine the kind of losses soybean 
farmers would face if they were actually implemented?
  Now, how about pork? Over the past 10 years, the United States has 
been, on average, the top exporter of pork in the world. Last year 
alone, nearly $6.5 billion in pork was exported from the United States 
with $1 billion of that being exported to China. Pork exports help to 
support about 550,000 jobs.
  Midwest States like Missouri dominate hog production and exports. 
Missouri is ranked seventh, and our next-door neighbor, Kansas, is 
ranked tenth.
  The Chinese have announced that they will also target U.S. corn, 
which will negatively impact the corn-based ethanol plant in my 
district, Mid-Missouri Energy. The plant is located in a little town, 
Malta Bend, and probably to some people that is not important, but it 
is a major economic stabilizer in that town and the entire area.
  Economic losses to that plant or even closure of the plant would have 
rippling effects throughout the surrounding area.
  Now, I know Mr. President is a real estate man, so he might not 
understand how business works on a farm, but these people work on 
razor-thin margins. In any given year, a bad crop, lack of demand, or 
Mother Nature's wrath can cause an economic downturn that leaves them 
struggling. American farmers have enough unknown variables they have to 
deal with. These reckless threats of tariffs on one of our biggest 
trading partners do not need to be added to that list.
  If this so-called war continues, we can expect Boeing plants, such as 
the one in St. Louis, Missouri, down the street from us in Kansas City, 
to hit China, and then China may back away from ordering some 7,000 
planes that would strengthen and inject over $1 trillion into our 
State's economy.

  The President is correct, the Chinese do steal U.S. intellectual 
property and, yes, there is a trade imbalance in this relationship. 
Nevertheless, even with only one class in economics, I understand 
clearly that trade wars are not good. No one wins.
  President Trump promised to negotiate new and improved trade deals, 
but his negotiating skills are falling far short and our farmers and 
ranchers will pay the price. I encourage President Trump to reconsider 
his shortsighted approach to trade and to offer him my help in finding 
other solutions to address our problems with China.

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