Gov. Edwards Sends Open Letter To President About Trade War

Governor John Bel Edwards sent an open letter to President Donald Trump imploring the Commander-in-Chief to consider the effects a trade war with China will have on the Louisiana economy. Edwards cited a report from Forbes that highlighted Louisiana as most at risk for damage from the tariffs. Edwards says it’s not a hostile letter, but a reminder about the dangers of a trade war.

“We are just pointing out all these things, asking him to the best of his ability to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion, sooner rather than later.”

Edwards highlighted the threat to Louisiana’s shipping and agriculture sectors but says it’s not just those two areas that could see a big hit from escalating tensions with China.

“Then you also have industrial expansion and investments like the LNG plants that require so much steel. And the costs of those projects will potentially increase by as much as 20% or so.”

The governor didn’t call for an end to American tariffs, or for the Administration to back away from their demands for a more equitable trade deal with the Asian power. He sympathizes with the effort but says he just wants to see things wrapped up as quickly as possible.

“We understand the concept around short-term pain for long0term gain, but we just want to make sure the painful part is minimized both in the extent of pain and also the duration.”