Finance Committee Leaders Express Concern About Administration's Trade Approach
The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee spoke about their differences with the Trump administration on trade before questioning nominees for appointed positions in the Commerce Department and on the Court of International Trade. Ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who spoke before the nomination hearing June 12 about the administration's approach to its allies and trade, said he agrees "that NAFTA needs renegotiating. I agree that the U.S. needs to step up with tough action against China’s abusive trade practices. But after a year and a half of work, the Trump Administration has managed to unite our traditional allies with China against us. In many ways, China is getting away with its cheating scot-free. Instead of creating American jobs, this trade policy is creating chaos," he said, according to prepared remarks.
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As a sign of how dramatic White House trade comments have been, although President Donald Trump had just made international news by reaching an agreement with North Korea, his post-meeting press conference turned again to trade, and what he had said about Canada after leaving the G-7 meeting. "I have a good relationship with Justin Trudeau. Other than he had a news conference because he assumed I was in an airplane and he thought I wasn’t watching," Trump said. "He learned. You can’t do that."
Back at the hearing, Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said: "It is important that the Department of Commerce consult closely with Congress and members of this Committee. And, frankly, there is room for improvement in that department." He said that he expects Jeffrey Kessler, the nominee for assistant secretary of enforcement and compliance, to help in that regard. Kessler, in his prepared testimony, said: "The scope and scale of unfair trade practices used by foreign governments and companies is truly breathtaking. Unfair trade has serious, real-world consequences -- including lost jobs, lower wages, and plant closures. It puts U.S. workers’ livelihoods at risk, and undermines the U.S. manufacturing and agricultural base. This administration has identified aggressive enforcement of U.S. trade laws as a top policy priority." Kessler said if he is confirmed for the job, "I will also seriously consider self-initiating antidumping and countervailing duty investigations."