McCaskill Statement on Proposed $12 Billion Tariff Bailout

Press Release

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who has called for an end to the current trade war that is costing Missouri jobs and threatening Missouri's agriculture producers, issued the following statement on the Administration's announcement to assist farmers impacted by the ongoing trade war:

"This is a self-inflicted wound that borrowing $12 billion won't solve. Picking winners and losers is not sound policy and this money won't help many of the Missourians hurt by this trade war, including the laid off employees at Mid Continent Nail. We should get back to opening markets for our farmers and aggressively enforcing our trade laws."

McCaskill recently highlighted Missouri businesses that are impacted by the trade war in an effort to seek action by the Administration to protect Missouri jobs.Following China's implementation of retaliatory tariffs that harm Missouri agriculture exports, including soybeans and pork, McCaskill called on the Administration to end the trade war that "shuts our farmers and ranchers out of critical markets."

As product-based exemptions from steel and aluminum tariffs are stuck in a backlog and country-based exemptions from the largest suppliers of steel and aluminum imports received only temporary extensions, McCaskill advocated on behalf of Missouri small businesses facing large financial burdens from the tariffs by calling on Secretary Ross and the Administration to help small businesses navigate the tariff exemption process to give them much-needed certainty and transparency.

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