Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement today on President Trump’s announcement of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports:

“I support the need to modernize our trade agreements, but I am concerned about the impact these new tariffs on steel and aluminum will have on Nebraska agriculture. For months, I have been working with my colleagues in Congress and the Trump administration to clearly communicate the need to maintain market access for our world-class ag producers and manufacturers. I met in person with President Trump in December and I had breakfast with White House Chief of Staff General Kelly this week. In these meetings, I stressed the importance of agriculture to Nebraska’s economy.”

A timeline of Senator Fischer’s meetings and actions on trade is below.

-          On March 6, 2018, Senator Fischer had breakfast with General Kelly to discuss the tariff issue.
-          On January 30, 2018, she joined 35 of her colleagues in a letter to the president on NAFTA.
-          On January 9, 2018, she joined a group of senators for a meeting with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada, focused on NAFTA objectives.
-          On December 5, 2017, Senator Fischer had lunch with President Trump at the White House and highlighted the significance of NAFTA to ag exports and manufacturing jobs. The next day, she met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and shared Nebraska’s perspective when it comes to trade.
-          On September 26, 2017, she met with South Korea’s Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong on the KORUS FTA.
-          On September 5, 2017, she penned a letter to President Donald Trump urging him not to terminate the KORUS FTA. 
-          On June 28, 2017, she signed a bipartisan letter to USTR Ambassador Lighthizer underscoring the NAFTA benefits to agriculture.
-          On May 20, 2017, Senator Fischer hosted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at her ranch in Cherry County for a roundtable discussion with Nebraska ranchers. Trade and regulatory relief were key focus areas of the discussion.
-          On May 15, 2017, she led a group of her colleagues in a letter to Ambassador Lighthizer on the benefits of NAFTA to agriculture and manufacturing goods. 

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