The Trump Administration's trade-war tariffs have hit her Sixth District hard, according to U.S. Representative Kathy Manning. The Democratic Congresswoman is expecting changes under the Biden administration that would make the tariffs more strategic.
The wide-ranging tariffs have caused havoc for a number of North Carolina interests, from tobacco farming to furniture.
Manning says they've been a disaster for the district.
The Trump Administration imposed them in a trade war with China, alleging unfair practices. They made Chinese goods more expensive to import. China then put in place retaliatory tariffs of their own.
Manning says China should be punished for such practices like intellectual property theft. But she says the current tariffs lack a cohesive plan.
“Shooting from the hip is not a policy," she says. "I'm confident that Joe Biden will put together a long-term strategy that will help our country get where we need to be, and his policies will follow that strategy.”
Biden opposes Chinese tariffs but he hasn't indicated that undoing them will be a top priority. He's focusing instead on an aggressive "Buy American" program that would use billions of federal dollars to invest in U.S.-made goods and domestic research and development in technology.
The full interview, where Manning also discusses the Capitol insurrection, impeachment and more, can be found on WFDD's YouTube channel.