Today is A Great Day for America

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for America. It is great day for American agriculture and American manufacturing.

Today, the President signs phase one of the China trade deal. But this news, the most important news of the day, won't be covered much by the national media. Instead, the story, the photo of the day will be Speaker Pelosi parading her tardy Articles of Impeachment to the Senate with pomp and circumstance. America can only hope this is the last chapter on this side of the capitol of this made-for-TV impeachment charade.

Why won't the national media cover this trade agreement story? Because it is another example of a promise made, promise kept by our President. It is another example of our President's policies working.

Once the Chinese trade agreement is completed, the President will have renegotiated over half of our country's export-import business. Now, that is making America great again. That is the art of the deal.

As part of the phase one agreement, China will buy $200 billion worth of American goods and services over the next 2 years, nearly doubling our U.S. exports to the country and further narrowing the gap of our longstanding trade agreements and deficits. Agriculture goods will account for nearly $100 billion of these purchases, providing a much- needed boost to the industry that accounts for more than 40 percent of our Kansas State's economy. All this increase in exports only adds to our Nation's GDP.

In the near term, this deal brings an end to the threat of additional tariffs that have caused commodity prices to fluctuate, giving producers more certainty and the ability to better plan for the upcoming growing seasons. Our farmers and ranchers have borne the brunt of the effects of this trade battle, and I am happy to say things will get better soon. The patriotism our Kansas producers have shown has been nothing short of honorable.

Now, concerns about China upholding its end of the phase one agreement are indeed legitimate. Decades of China reneging on commitments aren't lost on me, but thankfully our negotiation team, led by our trade representative Bob Lighthizer and a fellow Kansan, Gregg Doud, require that this deal include the authority for the President to swiftly reinstate all tariffs and impose new ones, if needed, and thus avoid the long, drawn-out decisions by the WTO.

Global trade disputes don't end overnight, and as the President and his team have acknowledged, there is still a lot of work to be done on China. Phase two negotiations are already well under way, and I will continue to advocate for Kansas agriculture and manufacturing directly to this administration.

President Trump's efforts to solidify deals with our four largest export markets, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and now China will give Kansans the confidence needed to move into the next decade and beyond. These four countries, along with the completed trade deal with South Korea, represent over half of our country's trade. This sets the stage for the rest of our trade agreements.

We made it through this hard pass, and better days of fair and reciprocal trade lie ahead for many generations.

I thank the President and our entire trade team at USTR for their efforts to protect and grow American jobs, to improve wages, for their commitment to make and keep America great. Keep up the good work.

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