WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) joined Talk Business & Politics with Roby Brock on KATV News to discuss the latest progress on passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which will benefit over 100,000 Arkansans working in farming, manufacturing, and export jobs. The Congressman also discussed the importance of working with international allies to pressure China into renegotiating a fair trade deal with the United States.
Click
HERE or on the picture below to watch Congressman Hill's interview on KATV with Roby Brock.
Highlights of Congressman Hill's interview are copied below:
On bringing USMCA to the House floor for a vote:
I think it’s the single most important thing besides federal spending policy that we could do in Congress this year. It’s something that could have come to Congress weeks and weeks ago, but it has been held up by Speaker Pelosi for her process. I had dinner with the ambassador from Mexico and the ambassador from Canada last week. They’ve been working hard on it, the Administration’s been working hard on it, to get Nancy Pelosi to yes. Her hold up is either perfection inside her conference or maybe she’s not serious about getting it done. I’m not sure. She says that she wants to get to “yes,” I’ll take her at her word on that, and yet, for months now, she hasn’t gotten to “yes.” So, I still hope it can pass. She’s let it slide again. She said 40 days ago that it could be voted on in November. Now she said recently this week that she might not vote on it until January. When you listen to Canadians and Mexicans who have already approved this deal, and to Ambassador Lighthizer, there’s nothing else to be done. This deal is ready. It’s an improvement over NAFTA. It will help the U.S. It will help over 100,000 Arkansas have a better trade future. If it came to the floor, I think it would pass overwhelmingly. Maybe with 250 or 260 votes.
On trade negotiations between U.S. and China:
First of all, all Chinese behavior since the mid-1990s to now has always been rewarded. Bill Clinton suggested 100% tariffs in the 1990s over intellectual property theft by the Chinese. Nothing happened and they were actually rewarded in 2001 with WTO membership. So for the Chinese, they have to wonder if they’ve been rewarded all these years, why not just wait it out? Not only just because of the presidential election next year, but just generally. Why not just wait it out because of their influence around the world and the United States and European Union. I still have hopes that this intensive pressure that President Trump has brought to China, and is backed up quietly behind the scenes by the Japanese and the European Union, can finally produce a market opening in China. We want intellectual property protected—it’s never been protected, [despite] many, many efforts. We want market opening for services and products, way beyond agriculture. And we want the Chinese, to agree to follow the WTO rules. That benefits not only U.S. business and consumers, but it benefits Europe and Japan, and it frankly benefits China along with it.
On the impact of the trade negotiations on Arkansas businesses:
I’ve heard mixed. Of course, I hear a lot from our agricultural producers that it has disrupted profits in the bean market, particularly. I hear more about steel and aluminum tariffs, generally, which is the Trump trade policy that I’ve opposed over the months. That has hurt and raised prices in the steel and aluminum manufacturing business. So, not so much. In fact, I’ve had people say we’ve moved our production to another country. We believe China has been a bad actor. We appreciate the president taking a firm stance to try to get change this time. And I think that’s the biggest challenge for Donald Trump. Can he with the force of his will to make this his top trade issue be successful? And I think the jury’s weigh out and that’s not because of a personal opinion I have, but just the course of history of negotiation with the Chinese.
