Democrats Show Support For Negotiation Strategy

Recent comments by Congressional Democrats show some bipartisan support for President Trump's hardball negotiating strategy with China on trade.  Just days before President Trump said he has no plans to quickly remove tariffs on Chinese imports, even if a trade deal’s reached, top Senate Finance Democrat Ron Wyden asked U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer.

“Do you intend to lift the current tariffs, or will you condition the lifting of tariffs on demonstrable progress on technology, IP and the major issues?”

Lighthizer declined to answer Wyden publicly about sensitive private talks with the Chinese.  But, as Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin return to China for more talks, Trump says the U.S. “has to make sure that if we do the deal with China, that China lives by the deal.”  Wyden’s comments and those of top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, show bipartisan support for Trump’s ‘get tough’ approach.

“Actually, having enforcement, making sure the Chinese have followed through on their commitments, and whether you’re going to lift the tariffs, before you see hard evidence, hard evidence, on the ground, that the Chinese are changing," Wyden continued.

But while Democrats back Trump in holding China’s feet to the fire, there’s little to no bipartisan support to keep steel and aluminum tariffs in force against Canada and Mexico, after the U.S. reached a trade deal with them.

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