Congressman Glenn Thompson took some time to address several issues during a stop Wednesday in Clarion.
“We are building on our success,” Thompson told Clarion County Republicans. “The return on investment is 24 percent and there is confidence in the economy.”
Thompson said a part of that confidence is due to the new USMCA trade agreement involving the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
“It has certainly impacted our dairy industry,” Thompson said. “We were shut out of Canada for a number of years. They were dumping their products into Third World countries, flooding their markets. Now we have free access to those markets. A lot of our dairy farmers have been hurt in recent years. This isn’t the whole solution but there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Thompson also said “the agreement means more access for our markets in Mexico. It levels the playing field for manufacturing. It is a good trade agreement that was long overdue.”
Thompson said China has signed a “phase one” trade deal that will increase the amount of American goods imported by China from $24 billion annually to $50 billion annually.
“The hardwoods industry in particular will benefit from our agreement with China. The lumber industry has been in a terrible situation for probably two years during the course of these trade negotiations. China is a big consumer of Pennsylvania hardwoods,” he said.
Thompson said he, and other members of the House, met with U.S. trade negotiators to insure hardwoods were included in the pact.
“They did not understand that trees are a crop just like corn or soybeans,” he said. “You just don’t harvest them every year.”
“I think we are going to see real, tangible, economic benefits from both USMCA and China,” said Thompson. “Granted China is only phase one but that phase one is a pretty darn good deal. It will also protect intellectually properties as well.
“The bottom line is that China needs us more than we need China. Their economy has not been the most robust whereas our economy has been,” he said.
“I do like the fact that the phase one China deal does have some monitoring mechanisms so we will know almost in real time if they are cheating or not fulfilling their commitments. That is what was missing in the past. In the past we would wait five or 10 years before we knew that were not doing what they said they would do,” he said.
He noted that unemployment levels are at an historic low and the only thing holding back the economy is a shortage of skilled labor.
“There are many different paths to success,” said Thompson. “Those paths do not necessarily include a four-year college.”
Responding to a question regarding President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in Washington, Thompson said “it is a political scam.”
“This is about stealing an election and negatively impacting President Trump in 2020,” he said. “This is a failed strategy. The American people will be the final judge.”
Thompson said the 2020 census will probably cost Pennsylvania a seat in the House.
“Indications are that it will be in the southeast,” he said.