Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Top six Democrats debate trade and more, cite need to support family farmers in last debate before voting

Last night at Drake University in Des Moines, six Democratic primary candidates met for the last debate before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses: Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttegieg of South Bend, Ind., and billionaire Tom Steyer. CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Abby Philip, along with the Des Moines Register's chief political reporter, Brianne Pfannenstiel, moderated.

Here's a few things the candidates had to say about trade and other issues with rural resonance:

Buttegieg and Warren both noted the need for increased cybersecurity. Municipal governments and utilities, especially in small towns, are increasingly vulnerable to foreign hackers.

Sanders said the USMCA trade pact "will result in the continuation of the loss of hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs as a result of outsourcing" and said our trade negotiators could have done "much better." Sanders noted that he voted against NAFTA and normalized trade relations with China, and said the deals force American workers to compete against cheaper labor overseas.

Warren said she supports the USMCA because it has modest improvements that help farmers who are hurting from the trade war with China, and "It will give some relief to our workers. I believe we accept that relief, we try to help the people who need help, and we get up the next day and fight for a better trade deal."

Klobuchar said ethanol and corn interests had been hurt by the trade war, and noted that she had toured an ethanol plant in Iowa that had shuttered because of oil refinery waivers for the Renewable Fuel Standard. She said she supports the USMCA because it could help those hurt by the trade war.

Buttegieg said that while the USMCA has been improved by Democrats' input, it's still not perfect. Still, he said he supports it because it helps those who have been hurt by the trade war.

Biden said the U.S. must strengthen ties with its allies and strengthen trade relationships in order to limit China's global power, and Steyer said that on his first day as president, he would undo Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods and end the RFS waivers.

Click here for a complete transcript of the debate.

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