South Dakota Gov. Kristi NoemKristi Lynn NoemKentucky House approves bill to let people carry concealed guns without a permit Journalists seek federal, state support for right to inform the public The Hill’s 12:30 Report: First test for Trump emergency declaration MORE (R) said Friday that President TrumpDonald John TrumpGary Cohn says Trump trade adviser the only economist in world who believes in tariffs House transportation committee chairman threatens to subpoena Boeing, FAA communication Pentagon sets new limits on transgender service members MORE‘s trade wars have “devastated” her state and she urged the administration to finish trade talks with China.
“South Dakota has been devastated by the trade wars that are going on,” Noem, whose state relies heavily on agriculture, said at a conference hosted by Politico.
She noted that trade issues affect farmers but can also affect “every main street business, everybody that has another entity out there that relies on a successful ag industry.”
The GOP governor said she agreed that countries like China sometimes have unfair trading practices, but she said she wants the trade battle between Washington and Beijing to end.
“I have consistently been an advocate for wrapping up these trade discussions and making sure we’re getting access to better markets,” she said, according to Politico. “I think the administration wants to do this, we have been treated unfairly in the past, and they recognize that and want to have better trade agreements.”
Trump last year placed 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods brought into the U.S., with China responding with a similar tariff on American goods. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in December to wait to increase tariffs until March 1.
Trump said he would raise tariffs to 25 percent if China does not lift trade barriers, among other demands. Lawmakers have grown increasingly worried about the economic impacts of an ongoing trade war. The administration’s top trade official is set to testify before lawmakers next week, two days before the deadline.