The president of the American Soybean Association (ASA) issued a scathing statement Wednesday in response to Donald Trump's escalating trade war with China that suggests just how "devastating" Trump's offensive could be at the polls in November.
“It should surprise no one that China immediately retaliated against our most important exports, including soybeans. We have been warning the administration and members of Congress that this would happen since the prospect for tariffs was raised," ASA President and Iowa farmer John Heisdorffer said, adding that China's plan to impose 25 percent levies on soybeans would be "devastating" to American soybean farmers.
With soybean futures already down 40 cents a bushel as of Wednesday morning, amounting to a estimated $1.72 billion loss for soybean farmers, Heisdorffer noted:
That’s real money lost for farmers, and it is entirely preventable.
In short, we warned Trump, he did it anyway, and now he has singlehandedly created an entirely preventable nightmare.
That's a disaster for House Republicans running in farm country, particularly because the GOP hasn't done one single damn thing to rein in Trump or check his power in any way. Rather, they have totally unleashed him to do whatever he wants without considering the consequences of his actions on anyone, even American farmers, who voted for him in large numbers. Check out this map of competitive races in soybean country:
And the fact that Republicans are tethered to Trump’s every impulse hasn't been lost on Democrats running in rural areas.
The Washington Post writes:
“This has a devastating effect on our farmers,” said Kim Schrier, one of the Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. Dave Reichert (R) in central Washington state, the center of the nation’s apple, pear and cherry industries, which face a new 15 percent tax on Chinese imports. “I hold Republicans in Congress responsible for not putting any checks and balances on this administration.”
In particular, she has tried to direct the blame at former state lawmaker Dino Rossi, the likely Republican nominee to replace Reichert, who served as a Trump delegate at the 2016 Republican National Convention. “Don’t you have anything to say?” she tweeted at Rossi on Sunday in reference to the new tariffs’ impact on local farmers.
Washington exports both cherries and apples to China. Rossi issued a statement to the Post saying that he opposes "excessive tariffs and "I hope" the pr*sident will de-escalate tensions with China. What a profile in courage.
And in almond-rich California, Trump's actions are rippling through two districts that Hillary Clinton won but still represented by Republicans.
Michael Eggman, a Democratic bee farmer running against Rep. Jeff Denham (R), says he has been hearing concerns this week from almond growers, even among people who supported Trump’s campaign to disrupt politics. “Now they are starting to see how reckless this is,” he said. “It’s not shaking up Washington now. Now you are shaking up the valley,” Eggman said, referring to California’s Central Valley.
The issue also has been raised in the district held by Rep. David Valadao (R), just to the south of Denham’s district. One of the Democratic candidates, T.J. Cox, who owns a nut-processing business, said in statement Monday that the new tariffs are “devastating to Central Valley small businesses.
“All we get from Representative David Valadao is, ‘I’m monitoring the situation,’ ” Cox said.
Denham never even bothered to respond. Valadao's defense was that he joined a sign-on letter to Trump with 99 other House Republicans in early March expressing "deep concern" about implementing new tariffs. Lot of good that did.
Why not just buy ads saying, "We're useless. We have no control over Trump even as he threatens the livelihoods of our constituents."
Regardless of whether Trump's aides are able to talk him off this trade cliff with China, the terror Trump's actions are visiting upon American farmers might just bring home a game-changing realization: When you elect someone who's intent on destroying everything around him, your future could be next.