Top state lawmakers in Minnesota’s ag sector are concerned about possible foreign tariffs on major Minnesota exports like pork and soybeans, as President Trump’s trade showdown with China continues. Republican Paul Anderson, Starbuck farmer and chair of the Minnesota House Agriculture Committee, says about the president’s approach: “I think he’s negotiating as a smart businessman, when you put your cards on the table and pick up what works and put away what doesn’t work, but in government everybody sees what you put on the table and, again, that’s what causes the uncertainty.”
Anderson says his message for the president is, “What you talk about, what you tweet, what you say, the world is watching, the world is listening and it reacts very, very sharply to what comes out of Washington.” Anderson says in the long run President Trump has the country’s best interest at heart, but urges caution.
Anderson — along with Representative Rod Hamilton from Mountain Lake and Senators Torrey Westrom from Elbow Lake and Bill Weber from Luverne — warn foreign tariffs could be devastating to farmers already struggling with low commodity prices.
More in this interview with Anderson: