Indiana’s junior senator is talking directly with President Trump about his tariff and trade policies. Republican Todd Young is advocating that federal officials craft a written, coherent trade strategy rather than embarking on a trade war.
Young was the featured speaker Wednesday at a Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce special Third House session at the Upland Columbus Pump House, addressing a group of chamber members and taking written questions from the floor about recent issues including Trump’s trade policies.
Young said he had talked Monday with Trump on Air Force One about the need for a comprehensive federal strategy on trade and tariffs.
The question about the Trump administration’s trade policies came early in the Columbus luncheon, with the question writer pointing out that a third of Bartholomew County’s workforce is employed in manufacturing, an area that may be severely impacted by the Trump trade policies.
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Young responded that he had read the guest column written in late July by Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger, in which Linebarger warned that the trade tariffs impact and increased cost of materials could be a $200 million hit to Cummins, with employment implications for the company. Linebarger argued in his column that open and transparent negotiations with the Chinese government are needed rather than unilateral and escalating tariffs.
Linebarger said American workers and their families will be the real casualties of the trade war, as Cummins jobs in plants around the country are on the line in a trade war.
After the session, Young said he wants a written plan from federal agencies such as the Treasury Department, State Department and Defense Department, to create a clear plan for a U.S. trade strategy.
Young contends China continues to act adversarial in its trade dealings, ripping off U.S. technology and dumping manufactured goods into the U.S. economy, causing serious issues that need to be addressed.
He acknowledged he is anxious about the current approach to the trade tariffs, saying the U.S. must take a more targeted approach.
“China has violated the prevailing norms of economic order,” Young said.
Since China received a most-favored-nation status from the U.S. in 2000, China has continually undermined the U.S. economy with predatory actions, he said.
Train impact
Mayor Jim Lienhoop asked Young how the federal government could help make railroads more responsive to communities.
The city has entered into a collaborative agreement with the state of Indiana, Cummins Inc., CSX and Louisville & Indiana railroads and Bartholomew County officials to build a $30 million overpass over the State Road 46/State Road 11 intersection.
The railroads announced they will begin increasing the frequency, length and speed of freight trains on the rail line from Seymour to Indianapolis as soon as this month. That includes trains traveling through the crossing at State Road 46 and State Road 11 on Columbus’ west side.
That date is a year earlier than predictions from city of Columbus officials and their consultant, who said the railroads would not increase rail traffic significantly before the third quarter of 2018, after the 100-year-old Noblitt Park railroad bridge over the Flat Rock River is rebuilt.
Young said federal officials have had some success informally calling up major railroads and saying something like, “Look, Columbus has an issue,” which can result in changes in train schedules.
He said this has resulted in some modest changes, but he invited Columbus officials to let him give it a try.
“I don’t have a silver-bullet solution on that one,” he said.
Confirmation vote
Asked about the most controversial topic on his plate, Young said it is abortion, particularly the Roe vs. Wade case and the pending confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“I understand the concerns many Hoosiers have, but Roe vs. Wade is not before me now,” Young said. “When I place that vote it will be about how he (Kavanaugh) makes his decisions, not a decision on Roe vs. Wade.”
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Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, has a link to send information or questions directly to him on his website: young.senate.gov.
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