MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran addressed the issue of tariffs and the Kansas economy.
He stated that he’s been in contact with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Commerce as well as the White House about the new tariffs.
“I understand the value of tariffs and trying to make sure that the practices that are so unfair, or that China, which tries to steal our technologies, are adversary and trying to develop the format for the world China, we need to be paying a lot of attention to but in the general circumstance of tariffs around the globe, we have a lot of harm that can come to Kansas.” said the senator.
He added, “Agriculture into the Kansas economy, almost always the retaliation. If we impose tariffs, some other country retaliates with tariffs on our products, and almost always those are agriculture commodities.”
The United States produces more food than the country can consume, so that makes the United State an export nation in terms of agriculture.
“Anything that reduces our markets, including those retaliatory tariffs, are real problems.” Moran added.
It is the same with Kansas manufacturers. Moran stated, “It's also true in Kansas that we have a lot of small manufacturers. Steel and aluminum are important to them. Those manufacturers, often in Kansas, produce farm equipment, and so the increasing cost of steel aluminum means an increasing cost of so there has to be the right balance. Is the case that I keep trying to provide to folks who are making decisions about tariffs.”