Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Donald Trump Folding To China, Jeopardizing National Security And Harming American Workers

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Donald Trump's so-called trade deal that did not address China's trade actions that hurt our workers and businesses, secured no real actions from the Chinese to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors, and continued to give in on American export controls of critical technology, leaving American families, farmers, and small businesses to face the consequences of Trump's disastrous trade policies. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

In the middle of the second-longest government shutdown in American history, Donald Trump left the country and traveled all the way to Asia to meet with President Xi. And what did he do? He bowed down to President Xi.

China has called Donald Trump's bluff and Donald Trump has folded, leaving American families, and farmers, and small businesses to deal with the wreckage from his blunders from his erratic, on-again-off-again tariff policies.

Americans, beware: Trump will spend the next few days trying to spin this so-called "agreement" as a win for America. But that is total bull.

Don't believe Trump: he has folded to China. Donald Trump caved to China in Busan.

This so-called deal has left us no better off than we were before Donald Trump's trade war. If anything, things are worse: prices have gone up and China has agreed to nothing of substance that will improve trade between our nations.

On soybeans, this has been a total capitulation. Donald Trump's trade war has decimated soybean farmers in the US. This year, he's saying, isn't it great that they will buy half the soybeans than they bought last year? So many farmers are suffering, and so many farmers are seeing that their Chinese customers, who they sold soybeans to, are now making deals in Argentina and Brazil. Those are not one-year deals - those could be three, four, five-year deals, so that the customers that Americans had are not coming back.

China is still buying fewer soybeans this year from the U.S. than before this trade war. How is that a win for soybean farmers?

Trump's delusion is unbelievable: he started a trade war, created a giant mess for businesses, consumers, and soybean farmers, and then he celebrates for trying to clean up the very mess he created in the first place.

Don't believe Trump. Trump has folded on China. Don't believe his BS. He created the mess, now he's trying to clean up the mess, and then he says, don't I deserve 17 pats on the back? Americans have heard this old song and dance from China and Trump before.

I have long pushed presidents - of both parties - to take tougher action on China for its rapacious trade policies that have harmed American workers American businesses. None - absolutely none - of the fundamental abuses by China are addressed in this "agreement."

Trump didn't even bother to talk about China's abuses against American manufacturing. He secured no clear actions from China to address their funneling of chemicals that fuel America's fentanyl crisis. In other words, he says, we're doing something on fentanyl, but there's nothing specific. It's just a lot of lip service. And on fentanyl, China makes those precursors that go to Mexico and then are made into fentanyl and then flooding across our borders. He secured nothing specific. Nothing real. More bunk.

Maybe, most egregiously - and this one, I know many on the other side of the aisle are furious about - he is the first president in decades to walk back export controls, vital for our national security, essentially handing China vital chips necessary for technologies like AI. I ask again: where are our China hawks on the Republican side? I hope they're going to speak up and decry this abdication.

Trump is handing out American-made technology like it's Halloween candy, straight into the hands of our biggest rival. In the past, China has been desperate to get this technology. But now they don't have to worry because Trump is just giving it away. With these chips that China doesn't have and can't make themselves, China will dominate AI in a few years, and it will have severe consequences for America and for the world. When it comes to chips and Donald Trump, it's not America first. For him, it's China first - all so he can have some picture that celebrates a so-called agreement that actually hurts us.

America will regret this move for generations. We will come in second on AI if this continues to happen. They will set the rules of the road. America's greatness will diminish, all because Trump wanted to claim a false victory and brag that he got a deal with Xi. The list of Trump's capitulations to China goes on and on and on.

For months, Americans have been taking it on the chin, paying higher prices for everything from appliances to Halloween candy because of Trump's disastrous trade policies.

And now, looking at this agreement, it only begs the question: what was it all for?

Trump had no strategy, no planning and strategic decision making, and his bumbling has only emboldened President Xi, who must be laughing all the way back to Beijing. Flatter Trump with a few words, and he gives away things that America desperately needs.

When it matters most, when he comes face to face with autocrats and dictators, the American people know Donald Trump is all talk and no strength.

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