Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following today:
Senator Murray traveled to
Ritzville and Vancouver to observe the direct and downstream impact of
President Trump’s trade disputes in the country’s most trade-dependent
state, highlighting the economic damage and uncertainty caused by recent
tariffs and trade-related actions
Senator Murray: “President
Trump’s tariffs pose a unique threat to Washington state’s economy and
job market, as well as the millions of families who could see the costs
of everyday goods go up”
Emerging trade war reportedly puts more than 900,000 WA jobs supported by trade at risk, threatens more than $6 billion of WA exports
ICYMI: With
Washington State economy in the crosshairs of Trump’s trade wars,
Senator Murray cosponsors amendment to rein in President’s reckless
moves, and pens new letter to Trump laying out what’s at stake for
Washington State – LINK
ICYMI: “Washington is a big casualty of Trump’s trade war” – LINK
(VANCOUVER, WA) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) traveled across Washington state to observe the impact of President Trump’s trade wars
on families and business owners this week, meeting with growers,
exporters, and other community leaders in Ritzville and Vancouver to
hear how they are navigating President Trump’s escalating trade
disputes, and learn more about the direct and downstream damage of
President Trump’s tariffs on Washington state families and the state’s
economy. In recent months, President Trump has levied tariffs on steel
and aluminum imports from U.S. allies and on billions of dollars of
Chinese goods, leading other countries to impose retaliatory tariffs that are harmful to Washington state.
“Washington state is no stranger to the
direct and downstream dangers of a trade war, and as I met this week
with local farmers and other members of the agriculture industry in
Eastern Washington and port officials and workers in Southwest
Washington – who export so many of our homegrown goods – I heard time
and again how damaging a prolonged trade war would be for our state’s
businesses, economy, and families,” Senator Murray said.
“While addressing unfair trade deals is critical to ensuring American
businesses and consumers are playing on an even field, it’s clear
President Trump’s approach is threatening vital trading relationships
and jeopardizing Washington state exports—sowing unnecessary uncertainty
into our economy, threatening jobs, and putting long-sought market
access at risk.”
On Tuesday, August 7, Senator Murray traveled to
Ritzville, where she met with local farmers and other members of the
agriculture industry to hear their concerns about the impact of tariffs
on their businesses, local jobs, and rural services. During the
roundtable discussion, the participants stressed how tariffs have caused
uncertainty, affecting their ability to plan for next year’s harvest
and impacting their ability to sell Washington state products overseas
in both the short- and long-term. The next day, Wednesday, August 8,
Senator Murray met with workers and officials at the Port of Vancouver
who are responsible for exporting many Washington state products to
international trading partners. At the Port, Senator Murray heard how
uncertainty caused by recent trade disputes has rippled through the
community, leaving many workers concerned about their personal economic
futures.
“President Trump’s tariffs pose a unique
threat to Washington state’s economy and job market, as well as the
millions of families who could see the costs of everyday goods go up,
and as a voice for our state, I will continue working to put an end to
President Trump’s tariffs and ensure that Congress and the White House
make progress on trade deals that work for everyone in our
economy—including our growers, exporters, and workers,” Senator Murray added.
In June, Senator Murray sent a letter
to President Trump to lay out what’s at stake for Washington state and
urge his administration to consider the state’s economic priorities,
including our agricultural growers, as he and his team makes moves on
tariffs. Additionally, Senator Murray worked with Senator Michael Bennet
(D-CO) on a legislative amendment
that would have rolled back tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada,
Mexico and the EU without eroding the President’s executive authority to
take targeted action on bad trade actors.
To view the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s one-pager on the economic impact of President Trump’s tariffs on Washington state, click HERE.
For the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s state-by-state analysis of the impact of President Trump’s tariffs, click HERE.
