By Chuck Muth, President, Citizen Outreach
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more conservative, free-market organization than the Club for Growth (CFG). But even they’ve come to the conclusion that international trade that’s not fair isn’t free.
CFG president and former Indiana Rep. David McIntosh appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press this weekend and discussed the trade issue.
McIntosh and CFG have historically been opposed to trade tariffs, but here’s what he had to say about the trade/tariff war going on right now between President Trump and China…
“What we like about President Trump’s vision on trade is his goal of zero-zero tariffs. We support that strongly. And I kind of have come to recognize, these tariffs are his way of forcing the Chinese to come to the table. They’re costly. And we want them to go away. But he’s using them to get to that ultimate goal of zero-zero tariffs.”
This is the same position a number of free-market conservatives have taken when it comes to the U.S. sugar program of targeted tariffs on imports from countries – such as India, Brazil and Thailand – which subsidize their sugar industries.
We want those tariffs to go away, too.
But not if it means crippling American sugar producers by forcing them to go head-to-head with global competitors that, in some cases – thanks to government subsidies – are selling below the cost of production.
Years ago, Rep. Ted Yoho introduced his own Zero-for-Zero resolution stipulating that the U.S. would end its tariffs on imported sugar in return for foreign governments ending their subsidies.
That resolution is again before Congress.
Congress should pass it.
It’s consistent with President Trump’s trade policy and negotiating position.
It puts American farmers first
It’s the right thing to do.
Even the Club for Growth has come to recognize that free trade must also be fair trade.
Just do it.
