Shimkus On The Future of Trade In the Trump Administration

Congressman John Shimkus, a supporter of President Donald Trump, admits the two of them differ when it comes to negotiating trade deals. The 15th District Republican from Collinsville says Trump is moving fast on bilateral agreements, while canceling U.S. involvement in multilateral ones, like the Trans Pacific Partnership, or TPP, a 12-country trade deal that had the support of many farmers. 

Meanwhile, he says those in organized labor, like steelworkers, are looking forward to negotiating better deals.

"This is an interesting time when you have traditional allies maybe moving to different sides," he said in an intervew Monday.

But Shimkus says there are many unanswered questions at this point.

“When there is uncertainty, there is risk," he said. "I’m sure there’s a lot of people both in the manufacturing sector and in the commodities sector who don’t know what the rules of the road are going to be until this administration gets more established.”

Shimkus says he’s always supported open markets and more trade.

The congressman also says it’s also unclear what the future holds for the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. 

Trump regularly attacked the deal during his campaign, but has also pledged to re-negotiate the trade pact between the US, Mexico, and Canada.