Freshman Dems to Trump: Preserve American Manufacturing, Support Family Farms, and Rebuild Industrial Base
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Josh Riley (NY-19) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12) led 18 of their colleagues in a letter to President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer calling for a trade policy that strengthens America’s middle class, rebuilds the U.S. industrial base, and safeguards family farms and small businesses.
“For too long, bad trade deals have been written in Wall Street boardrooms and rubber-stamped in political backrooms—while towns from Endicott to Ellenville got sold out,” said Rep. Josh Riley. “I came to Congress to give blue-collar towns a real voice in trade talks. I’ll work with anyone from any party who wants to rethink trade in a way that supports American farmers, builds American factories for American workers, and strengthens national security.”
“I’m proud to represent the Port of Oakland, the largest refrigerated cargo export port in the United States,” said Rep. Lateefah Simon. “Tariffs are not inherently bad, but President Trump’s chaotic, self-imposed tariff war has been a disaster for the U.S. economy. That’s why I am leading my freshman colleagues to call on the president to fix U.S. trade policy to support workers, small businesses, and the environment.”
The members outlined four key areas of proposed collaboration:
1. Improving the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):
- Include stronger labor and environmental standards.
- Close China’s USMCA backdoor into U.S. markets.
- Fix digital trade provisions.
2. Investing in American Manufacturing:
- Preserve and expand investments like the CHIPS & Science Act.
3. Reauthorizing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA):
- Support and improve TAA for communities impacted by past trade policies.
4. Pairing Strategic Tariffs with Pro-Worker Laws:
- Implement tariffs with anti-price gouging and pro-labor reforms.
Labor Unions and Stakeholders Support Riley, Simon Letter:
“For too long, bad trade deals have sacrificed American jobs and gutted communities to pad the profits of giant corporations. We applaud these newly elected members of Congress for advancing a vision for a new era of trade that grows America’s middle class by putting workers, not corporations, first. The AFL-CIO will continue to work with all leaders who fight for fair trade,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
“The United Steelworkers applaud these freshman members of Congress for standing up for working people with a trade agenda that puts jobs, fair wages, and America’s industrial strength ahead of corporate profits and race-to-the-bottom policies,” said United Steelworkers President David McCall.
“Working Americans have long understood that our country’s trade policies are rigged against them, and increasingly recognize that it will take more than tough talk to reverse the damage caused by decades of corporate-driven trade deals,” said Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Director of Citizens Trade Campaign. “That’s why it’s so encouraging to see that Reps. Riley, Simon and others in the Democratic freshman class have a clear, level-headed plan for revitalizing American manufacturing, creating good-paying jobs and strengthening critical supply chains. Their blueprint for a new U.S. approach to trade is one that should be followed closely.”
“On behalf of the 600,000 active and retired members of this very diverse union, I want to thank these House Freshmen who understand the importance of fair trade policy,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “U.S. trade policy has led many news headlines in recent months, and this letter underscores the importance of renegotiating the USMCA to protect domestic manufacturing in areas like aerospace, reauthorizing the U.S. Labor Department’s TAA program, and enacting strategic tariffs that punish bad actors and protect U.S. jobs.”
“That this letter reflects Americans’ demand nationwide for a new approach to trade that benefits American workers, farmers and consumers, not only the largest job-offshoring multinational corporations, agribusiness monopolists and Big Pharma price-gougers, reflects it being signed by a geographically and politically diverse group of new Democratic House members spending time at home with their constituents,” said Lori Wallach, Director of Rethink Trade at the American Economic Liberties Project. “The administration would be well-served to adopt the approach to trade that these freshman members outline in support of the working families, independent farmers, domestic manufacturers, main street businesses and consumers they represent. Rethink Trade appreciates Rep. Riley and Rep. Simon leading the Democratic freshman trade agenda letter for the 119th Congress.”
“As we approach the renegotiation of the USMCA, the stakes couldn’t be higher for UAW members. Our union is fighting to end the corporate race to the bottom that pits workers in the U.S. against workers in Mexico. We applaud Reps. Riley, Simon, and all of the freshman members of Congress on this letter for standing with us, and for helping to chart a new, pro-worker agenda on trade,” said United Automobile Workers Legislative Director Rajiv Sicora.