Cramer Testifies at U.S. Trade Representative Hearing

Statement

Congressman Kevin Cramer testifed before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) during a public hearing today. Cramer was invited to testify to convey the impacts the proposed Section 301 tariffs would have on North Dakota agriculture producers.

Since President Trump suggested implementing tariffs, Cramer has been working closely with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue and other Administration officials to protect the agriculture community from the potential effects retailtory sanctions could have. In April, Cramer noted how the President should take a measured approach to address the trade imbalance between the countries.

During today's hearing, Cramer was the only Member of Congress to testify before Associate General Counsel Bill Busis and members of the Trade Policy Committee. While expressing support for President Trump's goals of combating unfair acquisiton of U.S. technology by China, Cramer recognized the direct impact imposing sanctions could have on America's farmers.

Cramer said, "With an already fragile farm economy, proposed retaliatory tariffs bring additional anxiety and uncertainty to those who work tirelessly to feed the world with safe, affordable and nutritious food."

He also testified at the hearing that in addition to agriculture producers, he has heard from constituents about steel and aluminum tariffs, which affect more than 17,000 North Dakotans working in the state's energy sector.

"Widely applied tariffs on these products increases costs for domestic manufacturers, which ultimately slows job growth and leads to higher prices for consumers. I appreciate the Trump Administration's strong commitment to American energy dominance through its efforts to rollback harmful regulations and its support of job-creating tax cuts," said Cramer. "I worry tariffs will hinder the great progress we have achieved by making it more expensive to construct vital energy infrastructure such as pipelines, which are necessary for America's long-term energy security."

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