During remarks on the House floor prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) spoke about cuts to federal agencies and programs under the Trump Administration.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
00:02And first, I'd like to thank my colleagues in the Democratic Litigation and Response
00:07Task Force for, for, um, helping us with this, uh, various special, uh, order hours, discussing
00:14the Trump administration's various reckless actions.
00:18And tonight, I rise to bring attention to an issue that really should have all Americans
00:22on alert, which are President Trump's tariff policies.
00:27Since the beginning of this administration, American businesses, manufacturers, and families
00:31have been stuck in limbo as, as the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened,
00:37then implemented, and then paused, and then restarted tariffs, creating uncertainty and
00:44instability.
00:45The most recent policy shift, a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, has
00:51been fraught with delays and exemptions, leaving American businesses, manufacturers, and consumers
00:56just stuck in limbo, not knowing how to react and how to make their plans.
01:00Now, in fact, just this morning, Trump doubled planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from
01:05Canada to 50 percent.
01:08And then, a mere couple hours ago, a spokesman from the White House said that the tariffs
01:12on Canada were back down to 25 percent.
01:15You know, who knows?
01:17In true Trump administration fashion, this is complete and utter chaos.
01:22But the truth is, these tariffs, no matter if and when they go into full effect, whether
01:27it's this week or next month, they'll all ultimately have the same result, higher prices
01:32for everyday goods and a less competitive U.S. manufacturing sector.
01:37In fact, a business in my district just let me know that it's a business that makes precision
01:43form steel tubing components, and they told me that the price of hot rolled steel is up
01:4833 percent since Trump's inauguration, in anticipation of these tariffs.
01:54And there is just no way that they're going to be able to avoid passing these inflationary
01:58price increases onto their customers.
02:01According to an analysis from the Yale Budget Lab, if implemented fully, these tariffs would
02:06cost the average American family between $1,600 and $2,000 a year, with working class families
02:13who can least afford it being hit the hardest.
02:16Prices would spike across the board.
02:18Electronics, like computers, phones, and TVs could rise by 11 percent.
02:23Clothing, up by 7.5 percent.
02:26Cars and auto parts, up by 6 percent.
02:28Groceries, up 2 percent, and with fresh produce, rising nearly 3 percent.
02:34Oil and other energy costs will rise over 1.6 percent, making it more expensive for
02:39families to fill up their gas tanks and heat their homes.
02:43Now, Trump is trying to spin these tariffs as something that is solely paid, solely a
02:48tax on foreign companies, but history and macroeconomic facts tell us otherwise.
02:54When Trump first imposed tariffs, during his first administration, it was not other countries
02:59that paid, it was American consumers and businesses.
03:03Importers passed these cost increases onto their consumers, and domestic producers hiked
03:08their own prices in response.
03:10This made U.S. manufacturers less competitive worldwide.
03:14In fact, in the last administration, Trump's policies put us into a manufacturing recession
03:19well before COVID hit.
03:21And beyond hurting hard-working American families, these tariffs threatened the stability of
03:26our economy.
03:27Analysts from across the political spectrum warned that they could slash 2.3 percent from
03:33GDP by 2026, wiping out a lot of projected growth.
03:38Markets also reacted with great uncertainty, as they should.
03:42Stocks have dropped, and consumer confidence is cratering.
03:46And for American farmers, many of whom are already facing mounting economic challenges,
03:52the situation is even more dire.
03:55The cost of critical supplies, such as fertilizer, fuel, and equipment, will skyrocket, making
04:01it harder for farmers to maintain their operations.
04:05And I was just at an event earlier today with corn farmers from the Midwest.
04:10For example, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, Canada supplies over 80 percent of
04:15our potash imports, which are an essential component for agricultural fertilizer.
04:21Now guess who the next leading producers are after Canada?
04:24Russia, China, and Belarus.
04:27Now wouldn't it be better if we could import from our friends in Canada instead of Russia,
04:32China, and Belarus?
04:33Or does our present president feel differently?
04:37In any case, with increased costs, farmers will be forced to either raise prices or absorb
04:42the losses, neither of which is sustainable in the long run.
04:46And besides rising costs, farmers are already facing devastating losses in international
04:51markets.
04:52China, the largest export market for U.S. food products, has already announced retaliatory
04:57tariffs on key American agricultural goods, including wheat, corn, soybeans, pork, and
05:02dairy products.
05:04Mexico, our largest corn export market, well, they know what they'll be doing because they
05:09did it last time.
05:10When Trump did various things to insult the people of Mexico and assault their economy,
05:17they simply stopped buying corn from the United States and began borrowing it from Brazil.
05:23Buying it from Brazil.
05:24Brazil, by the way, gets two crops a year, which when you tell that to corn farmers in
05:29the Midwest, they react.
05:33So we're in danger of losing these markets permanently if Trump continues what he did
05:37in the last, his last go around on tariffs.
05:41According to the U.S. DA, in fact, the last time President Trump engaged in a trade war,
05:46it cost U.S. farmers nearly $30 billion in lost sales and market disruptions.
05:52And so in an effort to keep the farmers' heads above water, $30 billion of taxpayer
06:00money was sent their way.
06:03You know, that's not what farmers want.
06:05For decades, American farmers have worked tirelessly to expand access to foreign markets,
06:10ensuring their products reach consumers around the world.
06:14These new tariffs will undo years of progress in expanding those markets, closing off opportunities
06:20and shrinking demand for American-grown goods in the foreign market, something which domestic
06:26consumption alone cannot compensate for.
06:30And finally, Mr. Speaker, manufacturing.
06:33You know, long before coming to Congress and long before my career as a scientist, I started
06:38a manufacturing company with my brother.
06:40And starting with $500 from our parents, we built a company that now manufactures over
06:45half of all the theater lighting equipment in the United States.
06:49It provides over 1,300 manufacturing jobs in the Midwest.
06:53We do hardware, software, you know, painting, wiring harnesses, customer support, everything.
07:02And I'm very proud that we've kept those good manufacturing jobs in the United States.
07:07And that's why boosting U.S. manufacturing and creating manufacturing jobs here has always
07:12been a top priority of mine, and why I was so horrified at the damage done to U.S. manufacturing
07:18by the last set of Trump tariffs.
07:21So I watched with deep concern as the first Trump administration's tariffs and our other
07:25trade policies put us in a manufacturing recession a year before COVID even started.
07:32Once again, Trump is pursuing a failed economic policy that is going to do nothing to bring
07:37jobs back, but instead it will drive up costs, kill growth, and undermine U.S. manufacturing,
07:43the very sector that he claims to protect.
07:47Manufacturers will be hit with soaring costs.
07:49Many U.S. manufacturers rely on imported raw materials such as steel, aluminum, auto parts
07:53from Canada and Mexico, and these tariffs will increase costs across the supply chains,
07:59making it harder to produce goods economically and much, much harder for U.S. manufacturers
08:04to export their goods in a competitive world environment.
08:09So contrary to what Trump and the Republicans are trying to say, higher costs means fewer
08:14jobs.
08:15When manufacturers face rising production expenses, they're forced to either pass those
08:20costs on to consumers, further driving up inflation, or cut jobs in production.
08:25Studies have shown that Trump's previous tariffs led to job losses, not gains, in the manufacturing
08:30sector.
08:32American manufacturers will once again struggle to compete globally.
08:36By making essential inputs more expensive, Trump is weakening U.S. manufacturers against
08:41foreign competitors who are not burdened with these artificial price hikes.
08:46Not to mention, manufacturers will likely be hit by retaliatory tariffs when they're
08:51trying to export their goods to the countries that President Trump has targeted.
08:56This is not America first.
08:57This is America last in the global economy.
09:00The last trade war was a disaster.
09:03Under Trump's first round of tariffs, manufacturers suffered as input prices soared, supply chains
09:08were disrupted, and retaliatory tariffs from other nations crushed U.S. exports.
09:14And this time, the consequences could be even worse.
09:18The truth is, there are no winners in trade wars, only those left to bear the burden of
09:22higher costs, lost jobs, and economic instability.
09:27Instead of strengthening our economy, Trump and his Republican allies are needlessly putting
09:31at risk gambling with the livelihoods of American families.
09:35And so, when the U.S. is threatened with a recession, you don't have to take my word
09:39for it, you can read the front page of the Wall Street Journal, it will be those policies
09:44who are to blame.
09:47And next, I'm glad to be joined by my colleague, Congresswoman Melanie Stansberry.
09:53As a representative of a southern border state, New Mexico, she knows all too well the importance
09:58of fair trade with Mexico for our nation's economy, and especially for working families'
10:04wallets.
10:05With that, I now yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico, Ms. Stansberry.
10:12Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my colleague for convening this special order hour.
10:20And I rise today to talk about the real-world impacts of what's happening right now in our
10:25federal government, with the dismantling of federal agencies, the freefall of our economy,
10:33and the impacts that Elon Musk and Donald Trump are having on our communities.
10:40Because what is happening right now is not normal, and it is impacting our communities
10:47in ways that many do not even understand.
10:52Right now, real people are hurting, they are scared, they don't know what's going to happen.
10:59Today in my office, I met with members of a tribal council and leaders from a tribe
11:05in New Mexico who came to visit me.
11:08Like others, they shared stories about the people in the community who are frightened
11:12about what is happening, teachers and educators in tribal schools who've been fired without
11:18any explanation, critical federal funds that are on hold.
11:24And when they went to meet with the Department of the Interior today, they were told that
11:29even those who are in charge of the very programs that they were meeting them about didn't know
11:36what was happening.
11:38Back home, people are frightened, they are scared, they don't know if they're going to
11:44lose their Social Security, their Medicaid, or the access to life-saving care.
11:53A few days ago, I met with the largest food bank in the state of New Mexico.
11:59They distribute food to hundreds of food pantries, churches, homeless shelters, and individual
12:05families across the state.
12:08They told me that if the cuts to food assistance go through that Republicans are proposing
12:15in their budget framework, that the number of families, and especially our children and
12:21seniors who are currently facing food insecurity, will double.
12:27There is not enough support, resources, and infrastructure in the state of New Mexico
12:34to meet the need if these programs are cut.
12:38Our food system will do everything that it can to support our communities, but it will
12:44be more severe than even during the pandemic.
12:50And every day, I am hearing from constituents in my district who have lost their jobs.
12:58These are real people, real New Mexicans, thousands of Americans who are being fired
13:07every single day by this administration for no reason.
13:12These are not faceless people, but real members of our communities.
13:20A tribal school teacher who was told in the middle of the school day that she was being
13:27fired for no reason after she had taught for years to pack up her things and return home
13:34in front of her students.
13:37Students who don't know if they're going to be able to finish the school year and graduate.
13:42No answers, no explanation, no follow-up for how she's going to support her son and
13:51her disabled mother at home.
13:55A veteran who was on medical leave, who returned to their job at the VA on a Monday, only to
14:04find out that they had been locked out of their email.
14:07And inside that email was a nameless, faceless dismissal, letting them know that they had
14:16been fired for no reason.
14:19A dedicated public servant who drove to work every single day, 60 miles every day to the
14:27VA hospital to serve their fellow veterans, who was never even notified as to the reason
14:35they were terminated.
14:38Just a mass email sent to thousands of federal employees across the United States.
14:45And just like the other veterans across my district who lost their jobs over the last
14:50several days.
14:52Another veteran who served in the Army Reserves from 2001 to 2010, who also received that
15:00same nameless, faceless email from Elon Musk.
15:05A veteran who received an Army Achievement Medal, a Combat Action Badge, and other medals
15:11and achievements over the course of their service.
15:15Who was fired with devastating impacts to their family, not only financially, but emotionally.
15:24These are the real people being impacted by this administration.
15:31An administration that seems to have no regard whatsoever for the thousands of Americans
15:39who are literally losing their livelihoods every day as a result.
15:46And while they take on these actions, while they dismantle these federal agencies, while
15:53they withhold the funds that literally thousands of organizations across the country depend
15:59upon to provide vital services across our communities, while they fire these thousands
16:08of federal public servants who have dedicated their life to service, including our veterans
16:14and members of the military, they are giving themselves contracts to replace the very programs
16:24and create new services that will give them more wealth, like Elon Musk at the FAA.
16:33They're talking about monetizing HUD programs, that's right, voucher programs that our lowest
16:41income family members and members of our communities depend on.
16:45They want to turn it into a monetary program that makes private companies money.
16:53They want to turn over mortgage markets to their crypto buddies.
16:58Well that sounds like a good idea, right?
17:01And they're doing all of this against the backdrop of trade wars that are not only endangering
17:10the American economy, but endangering the lives of millions of Americans and making
17:16it more expensive.
17:19Now the thing I ask myself is, what is the end goal of all of this?
17:25I mean, seriously, what is the end goal?
17:29Donald Trump campaigned for the last two years on lowering costs.
17:34He told the American people, if you elect me, I will make it cheaper and easier to live
17:41in America.
17:43So I want to ask my fellow Americans, is it cheaper than it was six weeks ago in America?
17:52If you've been grocery shopping over the last several weeks, you are seeing the prices are
17:58higher than they have ever been.
18:01We're not just talking about the price of eggs and meat, it's everything.
18:06The price of housing, the price of groceries, the price of energy.
18:13Not only have prices not gone down, they've gone up.
18:17And now because of these tariffs and trade wars, we know that everything is going to
18:23get exponentially more expensive.
18:27The raw materials that fuel American manufacturing and construction, more expensive.
18:34Produce and food, more expensive.
18:38Energy, more expensive.
18:43What are they doing?
18:45Why are they doing this?
18:48Why are my colleagues enabling this administration to harm the American people, enabling this
18:57administration to put harmful policies in place that are making not only more expensive
19:05for Americans, but tanking our economy?
19:12What is this all about?
19:13To what end?
19:15I ask my colleagues, honestly, Mr. Speaker, to what end is all of this?
19:24What is the point of hurting real Americans?
19:30These policies are not making life better for real Americans.
19:37It is really about stealing from the working people of this country to make the wealthier
19:44more wealthy.
19:46And if you need any more evidence of that, then all you have to do is look at the budget
19:51framework that they passed here in this chamber two weeks ago.
19:56Now a couple of weeks ago when they passed this budget, they pretended like we're just
20:03trying to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and we're going to take those savings and
20:07reinvest it into tax breaks and help the American people.
20:12But as has passed over the last couple of weeks, they're not even trying to hide it
20:17anymore.
20:18Over the weekend, Republicans were on a blitz across the news media saying that they were
20:26going to gut Medicaid.
20:27They're talking about it openly now.
20:30They're going to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the basic programs that sustain
20:36Americans.
20:38Over the weekend, Elon Musk talked openly about gutting Social Security.
20:46This is their plan.
20:47And what are they going to do with all of that saving, quote unquote savings?
20:54They're going to use it to give permanent tax breaks to billionaires.
21:01That's it.
21:04That is what all of this is in service to, taking from the people who have spent their
21:13lives serving this country, proudly serving this nation, proudly working to put food
21:22on the table and a roof over their head for their families.
21:26And they're going to give that money to billionaires.
21:30That's what this is all about.
21:35It hurts my heart.
21:40My colleagues passed their budget resolution, their budget CR this afternoon, and the vast
21:47majority of them are on planes back to their districts where they are not going to hold
21:53town halls.
21:56Their leadership told them not to because they don't want to hear from the people who
22:01are unhappy and being hurt by these harms to our communities.
22:08So I have to ask my colleagues, why are you even here?
22:12What is this all in service of?
22:15Go home and represent your people and come back here and have a backbone to stand up
22:20for the Constitution and the people of this country, because real people are being hurt.
22:27And with that, I yield back.
22:33Thank you, Rep. Stansbury, for speaking today and to share how some of Trump's policies
22:39are going to harm your constituents.
22:42You know, in your state and near your district are national security workers, atomic scientists
22:49at Sandia and Los Alamos labs, who were fired and then unfired and are still being threatened
22:55with being fired.
22:56And I'm a scientist, I know a lot of people that are in that situation.
23:01And the damage that's done to our national security, when you tell people that working
23:07at a national lab, especially a national security lab, is, you know, is not a safe place in
23:13terms of being able to depend on an income to raise your family, you know, that it does
23:18damage to our national security that can never be undone.
23:22It is a, it is not a small deal.
23:24And the fact that some, you know, 23 year old kid with a software background is deciding
23:29they know more about the workforce that we need to make sure our nuclear weapons are
23:34safe and effective is about as bad government as you could even ever imagine.
23:40And so that's, and I'd also like to echo your questions about why, why does Trump do this?
23:45Why does he actually do this?
23:47You know, the president's reputation, it's based on, as a great businessman, it's based
23:51on making a series of one-off deals.
23:54And he's a real estate deal maker, you know, not a manufacturer, not a, not a businessman
23:59who has real customers.
24:01And he thinks he's done a good deal when he uses all the leverage in his negotiation to
24:06make sure that he's really rooked his, his counterparty, his customer, to the extent
24:11possible in his real estate transactions.
24:13Now I'm very different.
24:15I'm a manufacturer.
24:17And the last thing you want if you're a manufacturer is a dissatisfied customer.
24:21It's a completely different mindset.
24:24And the problem occurs when Donald Trump views our allies as people to be rooked, people
24:30to be insulted, people to use the leverage to get the most out of, of the current situation
24:36with them, instead of trying to develop the long-term business relationship that is really
24:42the basis of the long-term economic security of our country.
24:45And that's my best, my best understanding of why the president does these things.
24:49Because certainly he has his advisers that let him know that his policies are going to
24:54have disastrous economic effects.
24:56In fact, just a couple of nights ago in an interview, President Trump declined to rule
25:01out the possibility of a recession, which I imagine his competent advisers have been
25:06shouting in his ear for, for weeks now.
25:09You know, as I said earlier, there are no winners in a trade war.
25:13There are only those who are left to bear the burden of higher costs, lost jobs and
25:17economic instability.
25:19Instead of strengthening our economy, Trump and his Republican allies are needlessly putting
25:23it at risk, gambling with the livelihoods of American families.
25:27So if the U.S. indeed enters a recession, we will know who to blame.
25:32I yield back.