U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) joins Bloomberg TV to discuss trade negotiations and his continued efforts to pass a disaster relief package for Georgia and other states impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters.
 
Highlights:
 
Time To Get Disaster Relief Done: “It’s been almost eight months since Hurricane Michael devastated the southeast. There have been fires in California, earthquakes in Alaska, floods in the Midwest, and more. Disaster relief bills are normally bipartisan, and before this, the longest it took to pass disaster relief was about two and a half months. It’s time to get this done.”
 
Breakthroughs On Disaster Relief: “We had major breakthroughs in disaster relief negotiations yesterday and last night. We’re very close to getting this done. Leader McConnell said that the Senate will vote on something this week, so the pressure is on in both the U.S. House and the Senate to get this done.”
 
Farmers Want Equal Access: “Our farmers understand that in the long-term President Trump is trying to get equal access with China. They are fully-supportive of what the President is trying to do, which is level the playing field on trade.”
 
Great Step Forward: “According to Ambassador Lighthizer, the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada will add about $70 billion to our GDP and about 176,000 jobs across the country. USMCA is the strongest labor and environmental piece of negotiation I've seen in my lifetime. It’s much better than NAFTA. It does most of what President Trump wanted to do, and it is a great step forward.”
 
Standing Up To China: “China is stealing our technology, forcing the transfer of technology, and violating the World Trade Organization (WTO) at every turn. They don't give the United States equal access. Most Americans I talk to around the country understand what President Trump is trying to do on trade.”
 
Fight Worth Having: “It’s about time somebody stood up and required China to comply with trade rules like the rest of the world. China has had a free ride for 35 years. I think this is a fight that is worth having. The alternative is to go back to the existing relationship, and that is not acceptable to anybody.”