Democratic senators grilled President Trump’s ambassador nominees for Canada and Mexico throughout a Senate Committee on International Relations listening to Thursday over the administration’s new commerce insurance policies, saying that they had been impacting U.S. relations with its allies.
Noting that her residence state of New Hampshire has the very best share of Canadian People within the U.S., Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) mentioned Trump’s statements have triggered 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 mentioned, whereas posing a query to Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Canada, Peter Hoekstra.
Shaheen, who introduced earlier this week she wouldn’t search one other time period within the Senate, mentioned Canadians had 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 continued.
She then requested Hoekstra how he would flip across the “negative relations that have developed” and tackle the tariff points between the U.S. and Canada.
Hoekstra responded that he had skilled related 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 mentioned. “But we made it work.”
He mentioned he would apply 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 mentioned, “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 instructed her that 80 % of the orders they get from Canada have been canceled 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 responded that free and truthful commerce is without doubt one of the priorities of the administration, however that they need to work with Canada on the difficulty of fentanyl as effectively.
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 mentioned. “Let’s be honest about what is happening here.”
Later within the listening to, Hoekstra was requested about Trump’s references to Canada because the nation’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 replied.
Coons then talked about Canada’s new prime minister, which he mentioned in his view offers a chance to reset relations, 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 to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, was additionally grilled concerning the administration’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 replied.
Coons then requested if Johnson agreed that there ought to be cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to fight such cases of violence and human trafficking.
When Johnson replied within the affirmative, the senator mentioned he was involved concerning the impression of a evaluate of overseas help 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 requested.
Johnson mentioned he would work with the senator to resolve the difficulty.
In response to a different query about motion towards Mexican drug cartels, Johnson didn’t dismiss the potential of unilateral army motion by the U.S. in Mexico if Americans had been threatened.
“Our first desire would be that it be done in partnership with our Mexican partners,” Johnson mentioned, however he 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.”
