Trade ? and, in particular, trade with Canada, Mexico and China ? dominated discussion at a town hall meeting Tuesday in Iola with Congressman Steve Watkins, a Republican who represents Kansas? 2nd District.
Watkins touted his appointments to three committees ? education and labor, veterans affairs and foreign affairs ? and co-sponsorship of 177 pieces of legislation, ?more than any other Republican freshman in Congress,? he said.
He also serves as the only Republican freshman working on a new trade agreement between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada, commonly known as NAFTA 2.0. The deal would replace NAFTA with new rules to automakers, stricter labor and environmental standards, intellectual property protections and digital trade provisions. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed the deal in November, but it must be ratified by participating governments. Only Mexico so far has done so.
Watkins said he?s optimistic the U.S. House of Representatives will bring the bill to a vote this fall.
Kansas should benefit from the new trade agreement, Watkins said. He cited statistics that one in four Kansas manufacturers exports to Canada and Mexico and more than 13,800 manufacturing jobs in the state depend on those exports. Kansas exports to Mexico and Canada in 2017 totaled $4.4 billion, Watkins said.
The discussion on trade between the U.S. and its North American neighbors brought up questions about trade policies with China, including tariffs enacted by the Trump administration.
China this week lowered its currency to make its exports more affordable for foreigners, causing Trump to label the country, ?a currency manipulator.? China also suspended its purchases of all U.S. farm goods.
Mike Bruner, chairman of the Allen County Democratic Party, said he is concerned Congress had ceded too much power to the executive branch to levy taxes in the form of tariffs. He worried China ?would not allow themselves to be bullied and they?re willing to withstand a lot of short-term pain to stand up to our trade policy, and it?s going to be devastating to our economy, particularly our rural areas.?
Watkins said he was concerned about China?s business practices, including theft of intellectual property and other security concerns. He said the U.S. needs to focus on a long-term strategy, rather than a reactionary approach to trade.
Even a favorable U.S. trade deal will take time, he said. He compared it to a chess game, and said China has the advantage when it comes to strategy.
?Just because we have a great trade deal doesn?t mean China is just going to drop their suppliers and go with us,? he said. ?China has a long-term vision about politics and the world. ? We live moment to moment. No doubt people are on their phones right now seeing what the president?s going to tweet next. I caution against that really reactionary nature in politics right now, and against the in-fighting we are suffering from.?
THE TOPIC of immigration sparked the most heated discussion at the end of the event, after Watkins had mostly stopped taking questions. An audience member thanked Watkins for supporting President Trump?s immigration efforts, which caused several audience members to speak up in protest.
?Not all of us share that sentiment,? Bruner interjected. ?Some of us feel there?s just out-and-out racism coming from this administration.?
?My father?s an immigrant and I get told to go back behind the border, and I?m only 50 percent Hispanic,? Abby Rinehart, a member of the Allen County High School Democrats group, said. ?I went my entire freshman year with people saying because of President Trump they can tell me to go back behind the wall.?
?I?m sorry that happened to you. I certainly wouldn?t approve of comments like that,? Watkins said.
?Saying you feel bad for us here isn?t going to change anything,? Rachel Shaffer, another member of the high school Democrats group, responded. ?I understand you get that people saying mean things to my friend is bad. Then do something about it.?