Democratic senators grilled President Trump’s ambassador nominees for Canada and Mexico all the way through the Senate Committee on International Members of the family listening to Thursday over the management’s new industry insurance policies, announcing that they have been impacting U.S. family members with its allies.
Noting that her house state of New Hampshire has the perfect share of Canadian American citizens than some other state within the U.S., Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) stated Trump’s statements have brought about Canadians to view the U.S. negatively.
“I find it very troubling that we are seeing our national anthem booed at ice hockey games and that the country where we got the longest undefended border in the world, where we’ve had such positive relationship over the years, is now viewing America in the way they are because of this president’s statements,” she stated, whilst posing a query to Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Canada, Peter Hoekstra.
Shaheen, who introduced previous this week she would now not search every other time period within the Senate, stated Canadians have been discovering it “offensive” that Trump is speaking about Canada being the 51st state of the U.S. “And I don’t blame them, I gotta be honest,” she persevered.
She then requested Hoekstra how he would flip across the “negative relations that have developed” and deal with the tariff problems between the U.S. and Canada.
Hoekstra spoke back that he had skilled equivalent issues when he went to the Netherlands, the place he served because the envoy from 2018 to 2021.
“There was a lot of hostility or concern [in the Netherlands] about some of the objectives of the Trump administration, which were really about fairness, getting the Dutch to pay for NATO. Working with the Dutch to confront Russia,” he stated, including, “but we made it work.”
He stated he would observe that have to “the priorities that the president has outlined: freer and fairer trade, so that we can actually grow the business relationship between Canada and the U.S.”
Interrupting Hoekstra, Shaheen stated, “Isn’t it true that Canada has the lowest tariff regime than any country in the world and that with the exception of dairy the tariffs in Canada are not outlandishly restrictive?”
She added that small companies in New Hampshire have advised her that 80 % of the orders they get from Canada were cancelled and they aren’t certain if their companies will proceed.
“How is this trade war helping our economy here and what are the metrics that the president has that say that when Canada and the United States reach this agreement, we’re gonna stop the trade war?” she requested.
The nominee spoke back that unfastened and truthful industry is among the priorities of the management, however that they need to paintings with Canada at the factor of fentanyl as smartly.
As soon as once more difficult him, Shaheen famous that lower than 1 % of that fentanyl comes from Canada.
“They actually interdicted more drugs from United States than we interdicted from Canada,” she stated, including, “Let’s be honest about what is happening here.”
Later within the listening to, Hoekstra was once requested about Trump’s references to Canada as the rustic’s 51st state.
“Would you agree that Canada is a sovereign state and should not be even jokingly referred to as the 51st state?” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) requested the nominee.
“Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” Hoekstra spoke back.
Coons then discussed Canada’s new high minister, which he stated in his view supplies a possibility to reset family members, including that Mexico, Japan, and Canada are key U.S. allies.
“Some of the rhetoric [from the administration] has destabilized our relationship,” Coons added.
Trump’s nominee to be the ambassador for Mexico, Ronald Johnson, was once additionally grilled concerning the management’s insurance policies on migration.
“Thousands of people leave their homes because of political violence, criminal and gang violence, instability from drug trafficking and lack of economic opportunities. Did those strike you as some of the real drivers of migration?” Coons requested the nominee.
“Yes, sure, Senator. They do,” Johnson spoke back.
Coons then requested if Johnson agreed that there must be cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to struggle such circumstances of violence and human trafficking.
When Johnson spoke back within the affirmative, the senator stated he was once involved concerning the affect of a overview of international support and that “it has shut down key programs that were working to deter young people from partnering with human traffickers, to deter drug smuggling.”
“Will you pledge to work with me on trying to find ways to identify programs that are effective and that have actually helped partnership with the Mexican government in preventing the flow of migrants to our southern border,” he stated.
Johnson stated he would paintings with the senator to unravel the problem.
In line with every other query about motion in opposition to Mexican drug cartels, Johson didn’t disregard the potential for unilateral army motion through the U.S. in Mexico if Americans have been threatened.
“Our first desire would be that it be done in partnership with our Mexican partners,” Johnson stated, however added that “should there be a case where the lives of U.S. citizens are at risk, I think all cards are on the table.”
