Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. So here's the laceis this morning, the President threatening House Republicans taking a stand against this tariff agenda, the President posting on truth Social there will be consequences after six GOP lawmakers cross party lines to reboot the president's levies on Canada. The Republican Congressman French Hill voting against the measure to overwrite President Trump's tariff and he joined us now for more. Congressman Heill,
welcome to the program sir. Your reaction to what happened on the Hill yesterday and why you voted the way you did.
Well, Good morning, Jonathan.
Look, I think we should handle the tariff discussion in a more comprehensive way and not take votes every week on the floor that turns the House floor over to the Democratic Party. That's why I believe that standing with the Speaker Mike Johnson on this maintains Republican control of the floor. So this is a very important strategic issue in a parliamentary body like Congress with a very narrow majority.
What we should be doing about trade is urging the President to renew USMCA with Canada and Mexico, which is under review for its five year review this summer. It's a very important trade arrangement for the three countries. Progress is being made in working with the Canadians and the Mexicans.
So that's number one.
Not to be connected in my judgment to the vote last night, which is did the President have the right to put tariffs on Canada under IEPA because of the fentanyl matter?
You get my point.
Let's stick with the big picture here, which is growing America's exports, growing America's influence, using tariffs as a tool to change trade behavior of other nations. Number one on that list, of course, is China.
Congressman, you mentioned USMCA. I've seen down in Washington. I'm sure you're familiar with the work at josh Wen Grows wrote just yesterday that the President is privately amusing about exiting the North American Trade pack. That accordings people familiar with the matter. When you read a story like that, do you just consider that part of the negotiation for the upcoming negotiations or does that concern you?
Yeah, no, I do because of the way President Trump is responsible for dramatically improving the North American Free Trade Agreement from the nineteen ninety two nineteen ninety three timeframe in creating USMCA in his first term, and it worked quite well.
But there's more to.
Be done on Canadians on dairy or Canadians on softwood lumber, or how the automotive business works back and forth between the two countries.
We're now the role of it.
We live in an ever changing economy with ever changing priorities. But let's face the reality that thirty percent of GDP in my home state of Arkansas is connected to cross border trade with Mexico and Canada.
So the agreement is important.
And it's also important for you to note in that comment that President Trump has you know, does not impose additional tariffs on USMCA compliant goods, So we are living by the agreement.
Congress, there's a trade off here, and I think a lot of people would be sympathetic with the idea of trying to get certain trade partners to change behaviors and thinking particularly of China. On the other hand, there's a real affordability crisis, and this is a real issue for a whole host of representatives who are coming up for
election later later this year. I just wonder how much influence you think that Republicans on the Hill have over President Trump's negotiations around tariffs to potentially either abstain from putting additional ones on or rolling some of the existing ones back.
Well, what you've.
Seen him do is fine tune the efforts with individual countries or regions like the EU, UK, Japan, for example.
I want to.
See the consolidate the wins from those agreements that he has done over this first year in the first place. Secondly, you've seen him roll back some tariffs on commodities that we don't make here in the United States, but we need to use, whether it's a fruit or vegetable or a coffee for example.
Now I think that makes sense.
You don't want to burden the consumer as you're attempting to change trade policies in other countries or compel them to follow Americans lead on something like transnational drug cartel, countering those drug cartels.
But on the affordability side least.
I think the most important thing we can do is
stay focused on the supply side. The one big, beautiful bill last year signed in a law by President Trump will see real wage increases this year for American families in Arkansas, we expect some ten thousand dollars in benefit to a family of four from the increased child tax credit, the lower taxes on tips, the use of the standard deduction, lower taxes on seniors, social Security, so on that supply side, combined with what we're doing on regulations and the proposal
I made for housing in the twenty first Century Housing Act. We got three hundred and ninety votes on the House floor for that.
This week, I personally would like to boost consumption by taking a flight to a number of places week. And I'm just wondering if TSA is going to be an operation. Is the government going to shut down tomorrow night, Congressman oh.
Lisa, I hope not.
I I just look, it was so hard on my TSA agency in Little Rock and up in the tower at lit Rock National Airport, the air traffic controllers. That was a bad forty two days. That's not how to run the government. President Trump has used Tom Holman as a leader to consolidate both ICE and CBB operations in Minneapolis. Bring transparency to the operations, streamline it, make sure the training is in place, make sure the operation is consistent
with federal law, they're using body cams. Let's take that as the right direction and keep our government funded in homeland security so important to so many people.
Congressman, it just fails Massy down in Washington. But you pointed out the housing for the twenty first Century Act. We can get things done. We can find support on both sides. Congressman, what was actually a chief down in Washington And how important is that to you?
Well, it's very important, you know, Jonathan. On the properties, I've had to have conservative, center right policy on redirecting regulation and policy for people's investment opportunities, more crowdfunding, more public offerings, community banking, making community banking great again by lowering the regulatory burden on small banks that make sixty percent of the home loans in this country, and now twenty first century Housing.
We got three hundred.
Votes for those policies, as we did for our digital assets and crypto work last year. That shows that Republicans and Democrats when it comes to economic policy, can get on the same page and pass legislation that President Trump should sign into law that will make.
People's lives better.
Costs will be brought down, supply chain, supply side capital will advance, and community banking will thrive in this country, and those are all good things.
Find a question, Congressman, I've got about twenty seconds. Are you happy you don't have to chair the House Judiciary Committee because that was wild today.
Well, I had a pretty wild hearing last week with my ranking member and mister Bessett's testimony, so I know, I know wild, but it was.
But that's what happens on KAPAINI.
We bring the public and they're elected representatives together to try to find solutions, and they can get spicy sometimes.
Congressman, appreciate your time. Thank you, sir, Congressman French Schill, Thank you, Sir Dan in Washington, d C.