That number is 202 7488003. If you do, please include your name and where you are from. Catch up with us on social media. On twitter and on facebook. A very good saturday morning to you. You can start calling in now. We want to show you from the senate floor this week, former george bush trade representative senatorrent ohio rob portman. [video clip] nationave seen become a the culmination of nearly three years of efforts by this administration to deliver for farmers, businesses, and consumers. This is a big week. While the media is focused on impeachment, here we are on the floor talking about something that directly affects the constituents we represent. Allink it is positive in three areas, china, canada, and mexico. In a way, it is like the world series and a super bowl trade in one week. These are big agreements that make a big difference. Host rob portman from the senate floor this week. A quick recap from some of the major provisions of those trade agreements, starting with phase one of the u. S. China trade agreement. China will buy 200 billion worth of u. S. Goods over two years, and the u. S. Will cut tariffs in half on 120 billion in chinese products. China will stop forcing companies to transfer technology to chinese companies. Also measures aiming to stop china from devaluing its currency. President trump has promised phase too quickly in the future. When it comes to the agreement,canada it includes increased access of dairy and poultry products to canada. Members must produce 75 of an automobile to be carefree. To naftasme changes dispute Settlement System that was so controversial. It extends some copyright laws, and the usmca sunsets in 16 years. It was passed by the Senate Overwhelmingly this week. President trump is expected to sign it next week in the coming days. One of the senators who voted against it, Bernie Sanders was againsthose who voted it. This is Bernie Sanders talking about his opposition to usmca at the cnn president ial debate. [video clip] the answer is we could do much better than a trump led trade deal. This deal, and the proponents acknowledge, will result in the continuation of the loss of hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs through outsourcing. The heart and soul of our disasters trade agreements, and im the guy who voted against nafta and permanent normal trade relations with china come is we have forced American Workers to create against compete against people who earn starvation wages. Every major Environmental Organization has said no to this agreement because it is not even have the phrase Climate Change in it. Given the fact that Climate Change is the greatest threat facing this planet, i will not vote for a trade agreement that does not incorporate very strong principles to significantly lower fossil fuel emissions in the world. From thattor sanders seen in debate. Is the u. S. Winning the trade work . If you think the u. S. Is, 202 7488000. If you think the u. S. Is not, 202 7488001. This is todd from california, thinks we are winning the trade wars. Why is that . The chinese economy that was doing worse under the tariffs while our economy is still strong. As for the Climate Change thing with Bernie Sanders, i dont understand that because in my opinion Climate Change is not real. Since we are trying to buy more of our Agricultural Products to , it is nice for the u. S. Economy and the entire world is in economic danger. This is the Editorial Board of the New York Times today. They give the u. S. China trade deal and incomplete grade, is it doesbad news not do much to address the longstanding problems in the economic relationship between the u. S. And china. It does not address chinas practice of subsidizing state owned enterprises. Tariffs onso leaves chinese goods substantially intact. The average tariff will stand at 19. 3 compared to 3 when mr. Trump took office according to one analysis. Analysis from 2018 and 2019 finds americans are paying the full cost of those tariffs. Mrs. Richard from florida, says we are winning the trade war. Why do you say that . Caller because it is benefiting america. The amount of money, 200 billion coming in, farmers benefiting, and america is benefiting. , i thinkre benefiting we are winning. Are losinghinks we down in texas. Why do you think that . Caller the reason i think were losing is because the trade america is involved in does not reach all of the communities of america. When we talk about black trillion,over 1. 5 that is more than mexico, which is part of the trade agreement, more than spain, more than of theia, but many parts community where black people live is isolated out of the mainstream economy. The trade of america is involved in does not reach all folks. We have a serious problem when that happens. If we talk about free trade zones and tax cuts that donald trump and the congress initiated that is supposed a great opportunity zones to have census tracts to talk about these areas that are not involved in the economy as far as Capital Gains and have to have investment in these areas. ,e have had enterprise zones all kinds of mechanisms to alleviate these areas of disparity, even in our rural areas. Many people are left out of the economy as a whole. Host what does work . What would work . You talk about opportunity zones and other things that have been tried. What do you think would work . Caller we need a 21st century economy. Host what does that mean . Caller the investment needs to be in the people. There needs to be living wages. Living wages means they are paying more taxes, and the government is able to provide a more stable Social Security system, provide programs to alleviate and have a selffulfilling prophecy. When we have the top 1 receiving all the gains since 1970, and we are celebrating dr. Kings birthday. Most americans have been in a recession. Recession, butt most americans have never had a booming economy. , a 50 been a recession year recession. Host do you think it will help that one of those provisions we talked about in the usmca that at least 40 of the cars that are made in the built atcocanada are 16 an hour . Caller we need people to have to sustaincation these gains. You are going to put jobs in the community. That is what happens to people in the midwest. They were able to go and get these fabulous jobs. They were making great wages, but they were breaking unions up , and these people were not able to maintain quality education because of poorly qualified teachers with a high turnover rate. I would submit that we need to nationally Board Certified teachers and career technical education. That would help sustain these communities that have been left out. It is more like in economic embargo. Host thank you for the call this morning. Just a couple of the other labor specific provisions in usmca, trying to pick out the things that apply to the conversation we are having. Mexico agreeing to provide for the recognition to the right to collective bargaining. The parties agree to labor rights as recognized by the International Labor organization. That part about the wages being at least 16 an hour for workers making a good portion of the cars in the countries. Morning thehis question, do you think the u. S. Is winning the trade wars . David thinks we are, out of massachusetts. Why . If winning is bringing us closer to a level playing field, then the answer is yes. I think we have a long way to go. I think your conversation with regard to prevailing wage are you with me . Host yes. Caller the question goes to wage and regulations. Manufacturers like ford, chevy, and other manufacturers have moved outside of the u. S. To capture lower costs of labor and avoid some regulations. Agreementet a trade where whatever is made in china, mexico, or canada, they have to pay the same wages we would pay are, then we are reaching form of social and economic parity, which is a cause that is championed by the democrats. That is what we have to reach for. Need the Union Agreements with regard to the labor so much in mexico or canada or china. What we need is them to have to costs and the same wages that would be paid here in the u. S. That could be dictated by the government. You dont necessarily have to have the unions reaching in. Host you think we could have done better with usmca . Caller there is always room for improvement. What the specifics of the improvement are i cannot outline for you, but i can say philosophically the goal should people in america do not paying terrible wages to people in china or i dontr even canada think americans, particularly democrats, want to subsidize their life on the back of the working poor in china or mexico. President trump certainly believes the u. S. Is winning the trade wars. This is the president after signing phase one of that u. S. China trade deal. [video clip] with this signing, we mark a sea change in International Trade. At long last americans have a government that puts them first at the negotiating table. First in trade and every action we take with incredible enforceability. As we move on, i look forward to continuing to forge a future of greater harmony, prosperity, and greater commerce between the u. S. And china. This is something that is going to lead to an Even Stronger world peace. We now have a big investment in each other and in getting along with each other. This deal is phase one. We will probably be able to conclude it with phase two. It is something we all want to get done. It will be a tremendously big deal. This is something that is going to be so special to our manufacturers, farmers, bankers, service people. No one has ever seen anything like it. This is the biggest deal anywhere in the world by far. Host that was President Trump on wednesday from the white house. China, anment with executive agreement, does not require congressional approval. That did not keep senators from weighing in. One of those senators who opposed the u. S. China agreement was senator Chuck Schumer. We will play you what he had to say after we hear from larry. You think the u. S. Is not winning the trade wars. Why . Caller there is just no way. Under Ronald Reagan and clinton they gave away everything we had, our industry, to china. Good back in the 1960s. You compare it today, we are in a drug economy. Our country is hollowed out with corruption. Were just not in a position to compete with anyone. Host tell me about your part of industry in phoenix. What have you seen when it comes to trade agreements . Industry is building houses and stuff. Up we are doing is covering the actual irrigate of all irrigatable farmland we used to have. Now all we have is concrete in the cities. The place is horrible squalor, really. Drugs. The they rule. It is horrible. Everything, we cannot afford anything. Host thank you for the call from phoenix this morning. This is Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer talking about his opposition to the u. S. China trade deal that was signed by the president on wednesday. [video clip] does notreement address the chinese governments massive subsidies to industries devastating global markets. Addressement does not the unfair preferential treatment of chinas state owned enterprises, subject to control by the Chinese Communist party. The agreement does not address chinas Illegal Dumping of articles into the u. S. Market at artificially low prices, putting American Companies out of business. The agreement does not meaningfully address chinas into theft and intrusions the networks of American Companies, which has stolen a generation of wealth and jobs. Millions of jobs and probably trillions of dollars over the years. Not adjustent does the fact that significant financial harm has already been made to american farmers, many of whom have watched their markets disappear and have gone bankrupt in the time it took to make this deal. I supported the president taking tough action on china. I was rooting for him to succeed. I said over and over again that trumps my views on china are previous trumps then administrations. For deal does nothing workers. Ar that president xi is laughing at us behind our backs for giving away so much for so little. The administration in order to win at all costs has thrown American Workers and businesses overboard, and they will be the ones left to face the consequences. Host Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer from capitol hill. Aking your calls is the u. S. Winning the trade wars . 202 7488000 if you think we are. 202 7488001 if you think we are not. Raymond thinks we are not. Caller the arrangement under which all nations benefit the most from International Trade is free trade. Anytime government starts regulate and trying to such trade, all nations suffer from it. Host you are concerned about the tariffs and the trade wars in general . Caller absolutely. Host let me bounce this off of you, raymond. Finish your comments. Caller i was going to say one of the previous speakers talked about arizona losing its homelandto development. Land tohas more arable use for future production of food than almost any other state. Water from thee Central Arizona project. Host that is raymond in arizona. Just thinks we are winning the trade wars. Go ahead. Caller good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate what you all do to bring fair and balanced news to everybody. I think we are doing great on the trade deals. The previous administrations with nafta, it destroyed the textiles. I used to work in textiles. Finally, we have a president that is putting us first and bringing jobs back to america. I think we are winning entree deals. It cannot help every on trade deals. It cannot help every aspect of society, but one previous caller was talking about farmers with nafta. Bearing in manufacturing, and i have seen jobs leave and go to mexico, canada, all over the world. My company was a germanbased company. They have been in South Carolina since the 1960s. The jobs really went out. Under previous administrations, i have seen people with masters degrees making 16 an hour. I have a soninlaw that just got an Associates Degree from Community College and is making over 100,000 a year with a twoyear degree. You could not do that 10 years ago. You could not do that 20 years ago. Host are the jobs coming back to North Carolina and where you used to work in South Carolina . Caller yes, sir, they are. The plant i worked at is expanding every year. Every year since President Trump has been in office or before that . Caller really since the last year a obama was in, things started coming back in the metalworking trade. Since trump has been in, it has exploded. They are working seven days a week, 20 hours a day. The plants, they are running out of workers. They dont have enough workers. Host that is jeff in North Carolina. This is the headline from the column in the week magazine, asking did the u. S. Win the trade war . It depends on what we were fighting for. This is from one of the final paragraphs in that column. He writes, by attacking nafta and china, trump gained enormous credibility with americans who had been hurt and had been told by both parties that they simply had to adapt as the price of progress. Trump went to war for them, and now hes bringing home victories, no matter how small, that may make them forget that they suffered in the war itself. Do you think the u. S. Is winning the trade wars . If so, how . Us what you are seeing in your community. Caller we are not winning trade wars. This usmca is just a continuation of nafta. Ruled by theas itld trade organization that is unfair and discriminates against mexico and canada for us to know the origin of our meat products. Trump did not get that this trade deal takes away country of origin labels. When you go to walmart, you see your stakes, and there will be no country of origin label. They will take the food inspection, the ones that were in control of those labels, and now President Trump is saying that is just a marketing ploy, so they will take away the concern for health and market it so that those who voluntarily label their food, they will use that technique to make sure those labels are right. I think it is ridiculous that when you go to the store, Everything Else on the shelf has a label. Even your bananas, everything has a label. The Fruit Processors have such power over this Administration Food processors have such power over this administration, they bought him out. Host what line of work are you in arkansas . Caller we build houses. I sell cattle. We now have them vaccinated. We are holding them 90 days longer than we would normally. E are trying to make a market im not asking for subsidies like the crop farmers. We use their crops. I believe when you go to the store, you ought to know the origin of that product. It seems suspicious to me that President Trump would not want us to know the origin of our meat. Host got your point. This is roy out of las vegas, things we are winning the trade wars. Why do you say that . Caller i agree with the last caller. I was not aware of that country of origin thing. That was a little bit disappointing. When i was watching the senate vote on the chinese deal, i thought schumer voted f