...'Why not lobsters?': Mainers plead with Trump to help an industry suffering from his trade war

[DonViejo]

The Daily 202: ‘Why not lobsters?’: Mainers plead with Trump to help an industry suffering from his trade war

By James Hohmann June 7 at 9:55 AM

THE BIG IDEA: The mild-mannered independent senator from Maine, Angus King, got angry as he watched President Trump announce a $16 billion bailout two Thursdays ago to help farmers who are losing money because of the U.S. trade war with China.

A guy from Idaho wearing a “Make Potatoes Great Again” hat stood appreciatively at the president’s side. So did producers of corn, soybeans, wheat and pork. They’re all getting another round of handouts from the Department of Agriculture.

But many of King’s constituents have also been suffering, and they’re getting the shaft from their government. Lobster exports to China, which had been booming for years, have plummeted 84 percent since Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs last July, according to new data from the Maine International Trade Center. The growing Chinese middle class is eating more lobsters from Canada, which now cost them a quarter to a third less but taste no different.

“We’ve got an industry that’s suffering exactly the same kind of negative effects,” King said in an interview. “Why not lobsters? There’s no logical distinction that I can see. … I’m sure a lot of people in Maine had the same reaction I did watching that press conference: What are we, chopped lobster?”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/06/07/daily-202-why-not-lobsters-mainers-plead-with-trump-to-help-an-industry-suffering-from-his-trade-war/5cf92f071ad2e5122b87c4fe/

[real Cannabis calm]

1. recommended to publicize... LOTs of people will suffer from Trump trade was with several nations

[eShirl]

2. because we're not a red state, that's why