Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)
WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) said that he’s not overly concerned with a trade war brewing between the United States and China.
During Monday’s conference call with regional media, WRFA ask the congressman his reaction to the news that China would impose tariffs on $3 billion worth of US exports including fruit, wine, pork and steel pipes. The Chinese tariffs were a response to tariffs President Donald Trump imposed last month on steel and aluminum from China and other countries.
Reed said the response by China is not unexpected.
“As we go down this trade agenda that is being deployed by the administration, that clearly is disruptive and wants to change the status quo of our trade position – be it with China and other trading partners, we anticipate this type of action. Bottom line is, I think people want access more to the American market and the economy that is represented in the American market and I think that will represent us well as we go through this process,” Reed said.
Reed also said that the effort by President Trump to make trade between the U.S. and other foreign countries more balanced is already paying off dividends.
“I will remind you that just as we potentially will have these impacts with China, which we don’t have a trade agreement with, just Korea alone is something to learn from these tariffs that the President is pursuing, Reed said. “We had favorable results with South Korea, renegotiating that trade agreement that allowed us more access for our steel products being exported from America, as well as our milk products, which is something very, very much I’m sensitive to here in the district. We’ve got to make sure there marketplaces – be it China, Korea, or elsewhere around the world – have a basis of trade that’s based on fairness and enforcement, to make sure we have an even playing field to play upon.”
Also during his conference call, Reed responded to the brewing controversy about the upcoming census, which will reportedly include a question about a person’s citizenship. Reed said he feels the census needs to get an accurate count of all U.S. citizens in different states in order to properly reflect representation in Washington. As a result, he doesn’t feel the question is overly intrusive or off-base.
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