NELSON: ‘THIS IS NO WAY TO RUN A COUNTRY’

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Jul 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) took to the Senate floor Wednesday to blast President Trump for his approach to trade and decision to impose steep new tariffs that have instigated a full-blown trade war that is hurting Florida businesses and threatening to eliminate jobs across the state. “The United States government, this executive branch, is treating our friends like enemies and is giving comfort to our adversaries,” Nelson said. “This is no way to run a country.”
Nelson’s comments came just hours after he sent a letter to President Trump urging him to take the steps necessary to end his administration’s global trade war as soon as possible. “I have heard from several businesses in Florida that are concerned about the impact of your tariffs, and the ensuing trade war that is now threatening to put a lot of hardworking Americans out of work,” Nelson wrote. “They’re caught in a no-win situation that seems to be getting tougher by the day… I urge you to take the steps necessary to end this trade war as soon as possible.”
The Trump administration announced earlier this year that it would impose steep new tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the U.S. In response, some of our nation’s closest trading partners – including Canada, Mexico and the EU – recently imposed new retaliatory tariffs of their own on thousands of goods manufactured here in the U.S. Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Nelson said the president’s approach to trade doesn’t work. “What we’re doing is we are sending a message that America is closed for business,” Nelson said. “That kind of approach doesn’t work for U.S.A., it doesn’t work for Florida, it doesn’t work for the vast majority of hardworking, everyday Americans, and I think it’s time to come to our senses.”
Nelson’s comments come in the wake of a meeting he had Monday with executives at Correct Craft, a boat manufacturer based in Orlando that employs more than 600 people in the Central Florida area alone. Correct Craft’s CEO, Bill Yeargin, told Nelson that the Trump administration’s tariffs will likely force many U.S. manufacturers to raise prices on consumers and could soon force his company to lay off as many as 200 workers. Yeargin estimated that his industry, as a whole, could lose as many as 650,000 jobs if the president’s tariffs remain in place.
The Florida Democrat calls on Trump to end trade war threatening jobs in Florida

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