Congressman Tom Reed this morning called for pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to be voted on within a month. “Getting people back to work is something we talk about repeatedly,” Reed said. “These free trade agreements can actually do that – they are job creators for Upstate New York.” “The trade agreements eliminate most tariffs,” Reed explained. “That will create opportunities for local agriculture, manufacturers and service providers.” –-June 27, 2011
Recently, according to an article by Bob Clark in the Olean Times Herald, Tom Reed said this:
- U.S. Rep Tom Reed said President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported metals could help in negotiations to open markets outside the United States to Southern Tier goods, including dairy products, if negotiations are successful.
- Reed said Trump is aiming at battling a trade imbalance with China. “That type of unfair playing field has to come to an end,” Reed said, adding new trade agreements “are better than any short-term consequences this action might bring.”
- By affecting Canada, Reed said the tariffs could help kickstart negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement, and open up markets for other area industry, like dairy production.
If negotiations are successful, better than any short-term consequences, kickstart negotiations–How could Tom Reed know that?
Reed said he has heard from a number of manufacturers based in the district who are not pleased with the tariff proposals.
That local manufacturers are displeased is no surprise. What is a surprise is that Tom Reed would take a position opposite to that of Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader McConnell , and his own less recent opinions.
https://reed.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspxDocumentTypeID=27&Year=2011&Month=6
New NY 23rd 
It is possible that selective quotas/tarrifs from specific countries may temporarily help some American workers. But the long term effects of a trade war will be lost jobs at home since other nations will retlilate with higher tariffs on US goods themselves. And a higher cost of goods since the tariffs will add to the cost of foreign goods, allowing US manufacturers to raise prices slightly with less competition.
Mr Trump has said that a trade war is “easy to win”. Not sure who wins when we pay higher prices and lose jobs?
We are not going back to a high wage, labor intensive industrial production economy. The future is in new technologies. The way to prepare for the future is investment in education, training and research.
It seems as though every issue with the current GOP needs a “villain”. Someone to blame. Rather than analyze honestly what the issues are. Blame the Chinese! Well, if US capital did not flow to China (as in Ivanka’s factory and Donald’s purchase of Chinese steel) we would not be in this situation. Every tax break for the 1% gets translated into jobs and investments…. in China, Philippines, Vietnam, etc.
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