Trade and Industry: A System Designed for Foreign Competitors, Not American Workers

American manufacturing has been gutted. Foreign competitors are replacing American workers, crushing wages, and destroying communities.

Since NAFTA in 1994 and China's entry into the WTO in 2001, America has lost 4.5 million manufacturing jobs. Congressional District 8 has been hit particularly hard. In our district, manufacturing workers earning $39,500 annually were forced into retail positions paying $13 per hour ($27,000 annually). Two out of five displaced workers experienced wage cuts when rehired; one in four lost more than 20 percent of income.

Meanwhile, the 2025 U.S. trade deficit reached $901.5 billion, with China alone accounting for $202 billion (16.33 percent of the total). Manufacturing workers lost employer health insurance, forcing reliance on Medicaid. Pension security was replaced with minimal 401(k) contributions. Communities dependent on manufacturing became dependent on welfare, food assistance, and emergency aid. Tax bases collapsed, degrading schools and infrastructure across District 8.

American workers face a squeeze from all sides: multinational corporations offshoring production to cut costs, China using unfair trade practices to dominate markets, and foreign governments subsidizing their competitors. Globalism is a scam designed to enrich shareholders while destroying American communities. This system benefits corporations through cheaper labor and higher profits. American workers in District 8 and across the nation bear the cost.

As your Congressman for District 8, I will:

  • Go After Amazon and Hold Corporations Accountable for Workers' Rights

    • Amazon is the poster child of how corporations abuse workers while enriching shareholders. They drive competitors out of business, dominate markets, and leave behind warehouses that pay poverty wages with brutal working conditions. I will introduce legislation to enforce wage standards for corporations that receive federal contracts or tax benefits. Amazon contracts with the federal government and receives tax incentives. If they want taxpayer dollars, they pay workers $25 per hour minimum with full benefits, or they lose federal business. No more corporate welfare for companies that treat American workers as disposable. I will also support workers' right to organize without retaliation and will work with the Department of Labor to aggressively prosecute corporations that violate labor law.

  • Reject Free Trade and Demand Fair Trade

    • I will reject and vote against every so-called free trade deal that comes before Congress. Free trade is a one-way street that benefits Wall Street and multinational corporations at the expense of American workers. Fair trade means reciprocal agreements where both countries benefit equally, where labor standards are enforced, where environmental protections are real, and where American workers compete on level ground, not on a playing field tilted toward foreign labor exploitation.

  • Restore American Sovereignty Over Our Manufacturing Base

    • Globalism is the ideology that says American workers should compete with workers making $3 per hour in Vietnam. It says American companies should move production offshore to cut costs. It says trade agreements should prioritize corporate profits over American jobs and sovereignty. I reject globalism entirely. Congressional policy will be designed to restore American manufacturing, restore American jobs, and restore congressional authority over our economic future. We will make things here. We will employ Americans here. We will build wealth for American communities here. If other countries want access to American markets, they will have to play fair and respect American workers and American labor standards. Congress must reclaim its authority over trade policy from Wall Street lobbyists and multinational corporations.

  • Cut Tax Rates for American Manufacturers and Raise Taxes on Multinationals

    • I will cut corporate tax rates for manufacturing companies that reshore to District 8 and America. I will raise corporate taxes on multinational companies that offshore production. I will provide accelerated depreciation, investment tax credits, and R&D tax credits for domestic manufacturers. Mandatory buyback provisions ensure firms receiving subsidies who later relocate will repay benefits with interest.

  • Codify Section 301 and Section 232 Tariffs Into Permanent Law

    • Both the Trump and Biden administrations recognized that tariff protections are essential to American manufacturing. I will codify these proven protections into permanent law so they cannot be reversed by future administrations. These tariffs will protect District 8 and manufacturing communities nationwide from unfair foreign competition.

    • I will establish Section 301 China Tariffs: 25 to 100 percent on electric vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals (graphite, cobalt, rare earths); 25 percent on semiconductors and related equipment; 25 to 50 percent on steel and aluminum; 25 percent on medical devices, PPE, and pharmaceutical ingredients; 25 percent on solar cells and modules.

    • I will establish permanent Section 232 National Security Tariffs: 25 percent tariff on steel imports; 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.

  • Protect and Build the Semiconductor Industry in America

    • Semiconductors are the foundation of modern technology and national security. I will impose 35 percent tariffs on foreign semiconductor imports and 40 percent tariffs on semiconductor manufacturing equipment to protect American chip makers and attract new fabs to District 8. I will provide $10 billion in federal incentives for semiconductor manufacturers to build plants here and hire American workers. China and Taiwan will not control America's technology future. We will make our own chips with American labor, American innovation, and American capital. This is non-negotiable for national security.

  • Restore American Automotive Manufacturing

    • I will impose 40 to 50 percent tariffs on foreign automobiles and 35 percent tariffs on auto parts to make it economically rational for manufacturers to build cars in America. I will provide 10-year investment tax credits for automakers that establish or expand U.S. production facilities in District 8 and similar communities. We built American cars for generations. We will do it again. Electric vehicles, gas vehicles, trucks, whatever the market demands, American workers will build it here. Detroit deserves a comeback. So does every manufacturing town that globalism destroyed.

  • Create Manufacturing Opportunity Zones in District 8

    • I will create designated manufacturing zones exclusively in District 8 and economically distressed areas where manufacturing employment declined 20 percent or more since 2000. These zones will offer extended investment tax credits (10 years vs. 5), accelerated depreciation, workforce training grants, infrastructure support, SBA loan guarantees, and federal procurement preferences.

    • Priority will go to medical devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, clean energy, and automotive. Minimum employment requirements ensure firms hire locally and maintain sustained operations in District 8.

  • Close Loopholes that Allow China to Exploit American Capital and Markets

    • I will support legislation restricting capital flows to China. No U.S. index funds will invest in Chinese companies. U.S. investment in Chinese stock markets will be banned. Venture capital to China's military-tech sectors will be prohibited. Federal incentives will be denied to China-connected companies.

    • I will support revoking Most Favored Nation status for China, implementing Column 2 tariff rates. I will close the de minimis customs loophole that allows Chinese imports under $800 to enter duty-free, enabling evasion of tariffs. I will increase penalties for customs violations and combat international trade crimes.

  • Prioritize American Manufacturing Across All Federal Programs

    • Require federal health programs to prioritize American-made generic drugs. Provide tax incentives for domestic drug ingredient manufacturers. Require 15 percent of LNG and 10 percent of crude oil exports in U.S.-built vessels. Provide tax credits for Made in USA purchases. Require online sellers to disclose country of origin.

American manufacturing built this nation. Globalism destroyed it. I will rebuild it.