Columbia News

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) recently appeared on CNN's The Source to discuss President Trump's America First economic plan and the rescissions package he is spearheading in the Senate.

During the interview, Schmitt addressed President Trump's trade policy: "No, I think what was excluded from the numbers is that fuel prices are down, gas prices are down...commodities prices are down, and transportation costs are down. If you take the core inflation numbers, which is the more steady indicator of the trajectory, core inflation was actually down from month to month. President Trump inherited an economy that was dominated by two issues, high inflation and mass migration. President Trump is tackling both of those issues."

Schmitt highlighted significant investments in manufacturing: "Look at the record investments that you see in this country right now, over $5 trillion. Apple just made another $500 million investment in critical minerals." He also mentioned efforts to tackle unfavorable trade deals: "President Trump is tackling these bad trade deals that have saddled this country for at least a couple of generations now – since the end of the cold war."

Regarding tariffs and revenue generation under Trump's administration, Schmitt stated: "Well, it just didn’t happen when we had tariffs in President Trump’s first term...You’ve actually seen record dollars flow into the Treasury." He emphasized ongoing negotiations with allies: "They want to negotiate with President Trump. And I think when we do that, we’re going to be much better off."

On domestic policies affecting Missouri and other states, Schmitt said: "In my home state of Missouri, we saw the loss of manufacturing jobs...Now, we’ve got a President that cares about that."

Discussing the rescissions package led by him in Congress, Schmitt remarked: “I think that our Conference is very well united on this. This is $9 billion rescissions package that really gets at some of the worst of the worst.” He criticized spending on certain programs abroad and within media institutions like NPR.