As China Imposes New Tariffs, Mc Caskill Calls for End to Trade War that "shuts Our Farmers and Ranchers out Of Critical Markets'

Press Release

As China implemented retaliatory tariffs today on American goods that could harm Missouri agriculture exports, including soybeans and pork, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill issued the following statement:

"We've fought for years to open up new markets around the world for Missouri agriculture, so a trade war that shuts our farmers and ranchers out of critical markets will have drastic and long-term consequences. We've already lost manufacturing jobs in Missouri because of these tariffs and they'll extend to our agriculture community as well if we continue down this road."

Last year, Missouri exported more than $1 billion in soybeans and more than $90 million in pork products to China.

After China implemented tariffs in April on American goods, including an original 25 percent tariff on pork products, in retaliation for the Trump Administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum, McCaskill called on the Administration to "scale back this escalating situation before it becomes a trade war that does nothing but slam some of Missouri's most critical economic engines."

McCaskill has been a strong advocate on behalf of Missouri businesses and workers--and recently toured Mid Continent Nail Corporation, the largest U.S. producer of steel nails, which was forced to reduce its workforce by more than 10 percent last month because of soaring costs and canceled sales resulting from tariffs that the Administration placed on the wire that the company uses to produce nails.

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