State of North Dakota secondary Archives: on Free Trade
Doug Burgum:
North American trade deal good for farmers, ranchers
Agriculture can be a volatile industry, so we need to do our best to ensure that our ag producers have as much access as possible to world markets. The USMCA reduces tariff and non-tariff barriers for agricultural markets and increases fairness in the
Canadian wheat grading system, improving our ability to work with Canada and Mexico. This increased market access broadens the customer base for our farmers and ranchers, thereby decreasing market volatility.
Source: Fargo-Moorhead Forum on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race
Dec 19, 2018
Doug Burgum:
Trade war with China, & tariffs, hurting domestic farmers
These proposed tariffs are particularly concerning for North Dakotans considering China is our fourth-largest export market and a major buyer of our agricultural products, including our No. 1 export market for soybeans.
Disrupting that trade relationship puts our farmers at a disadvantage, and we urge the administration to negotiate a deal that benefits U.S. producers and blocks these proposed retaliatory tariffs from taking effect.
Source: West Fargo Pioneer on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race
Apr 4, 2018
Doug Burgum:
Supports USMCA trade agreement to replace NAFTA
The USMCA is a new trade pact among the United States, Mexico and Canada, intended as a stronger and modernized replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND): "We're encouraged to hear that negotiators have
reached consensus to update our trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. . We're grateful to the administration for its continued efforts to expeditiously negotiate free and fair trade agreements that benefit American producers and consumers."
Source: White House press release in 2020 North Dakota Governor race
Oct 2, 2018
Doug Burgum:
We have an amazing relationship with Canada
We have an amazing relationship with Canada, and Canada's our number one trading partner. Thank goodness for the passage finally of the USMCA trading because there are billions of dollars of goods that go back and forth between
North Dakota and Canada every year, and it's fantastic that we've got that long-standing relationship.
Source: 2020 North Dakota State of the State address
Jan 29, 2020
Doug Burgum:
Supports trade deal with Mexico/Canada
Burgum said in a statement that American producers "are among the world's best and can compete with anyone on a level playing field, and that the
USMCA "represents a tremendous opportunity to advance free and fair trade." Mexico and Canada are North Dakota's largest trading partners.
Source: AgWeek on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race
Jun 20, 2019
Heidi Heitkamp:
A trade war is bad for jobs, business, and consumers
Heitkamp today released the following statement on the administration's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum:"Farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and the energy industry--the lifeblood of economic activity in our state--know that a trade
war is bad for jobs, bad for business, and bad for North Dakota. A trade war has dangerous ripple effects across our economy, costing consumers in expensive and unpredictable ways. If the administration wants to strengthen rural America, it should focus
on protecting markets for the goods we produce and expanding opportunities for industries in our state. Instead, they're shooting our economy in the foot, stoking fear in our farming communities, and casting a shadow on manufacturers who rely on exports
to survive."
Background: Heitkamp has been fighting to protect and expand markets for North Dakota goods, pushing the administration to back off damaging threats to withdrawal from NAFTA and speaking out against tariffs.
Source: Press Release on 2018 North Dakota Senatorial campaign
Mar 8, 2018
Heidi Heitkamp:
AdWatch: trade war with China hurts soybean farmers
Heidi Heitkamp and her opponent, at-large Rep. Kevin Cramer (R), are locked in an ad battle. Heitkamp's new ad attacks Cramer for allegedly being indifferent to the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war.The 30-second ad centers on
Cramer's support for Trump's trade war with China, which will hurt North Dakota's large agricultural economy because China has enacted retaliatory tariffs.
A farmer calls out Cramer while standing in a soybean field. "China is canceling their
contracts to buy soybean. North Dakota is losing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business. But when you ask Kevin Cramer why he supports the trade war, he criticizes farmers," the farmer says.
The ad then plays several Cramer soundbites that
are ripped from their context in which Cramer seemingly downplays the trade war's impact. "Mr. Cramer, that trade war is costing my family a lot of money and you don't seem to care," the farmer says in response.
Source: The Blaze: AdWatch on 2018 North Dakota Senate race
Sep 18, 2018
Heidi Heitkamp:
Our $50B of tariffs on China caused $34B of retaliation
Heidi Heitkamp and her Heitkamp's new ad attacks Cramer for allegedly being indifferent to the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war. Trump has implemented more than $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. In response, China passed
retaliatory measures worth $34 billion that effect American agriculture products, such as soybeans, corn, wheat, and other produce. Agriculture is the top industry in North Dakota, comprising about one-quarter of the state's workforce.
Heitkamp drew a clear line between her and Cramer on tariffs, explaining how they negatively impact her constituents. "I think the first thing when you look at trade, you haven't seen the full impact. Fundamentally everyone had hoped
by this time there would have been an agreement that we would have returned to shipping soybeans to China," she said. "That hasn't happened. As time goes on and you scratch the surface, people are getting more angry."
Source: The Blaze: AdWatch on 2018 North Dakota Senate race
Sep 18, 2018
Heidi Heitkamp:
Tariffs on China cause retaliatory actions
Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?Kevin Cramer (R): "I would prefer a more measured approach." But they are "the one tool [Trump] has," so support them & present a united front for negotiations.
Heidi Heitkamp (D): No. They "severely limit our ability to build the international support need to keep China in check." Retaliatory actions will hurt North Dakota.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on North Dakota Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Jack Dalrymple:
Link ND businesses with foreign buyers
Our strategy calls for building on our success in the global marketplace by linking North Dakota businesses with foreign buyers. As the past chairman of our state Trade Office, I can tell you that the opportunities for our state's exporters are
incredible. N.D. ranks first in the nation in export growth over a five-year period. The model for export trade that we have developed in North Dakota is very effective and can be enhanced by adding specialized services such as logistics consulting.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to North Dakota legislature
Jan 4, 2011
Kevin Cramer:
Tariffs on China are the one tool we have
Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?Kevin Cramer (R): "I would prefer a more measured approach." But they are "the one tool [Trump] has," so support them & present a united front for negotiations.
Heidi Heitkamp (D): No. They "severely limit our ability to build the international support need to keep China in check." Retaliatory actions will hurt North Dakota.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on North Dakota Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023