00:00Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
00:03Ambassador Greer, first of all, I want to say that your office has been responsive when we've had questions,
00:09and I quite appreciate that.
00:12But what I do want to take this opportunity to do is explain to you,
00:16whatever the intent of the tariffs are, it's really causing a lot of harm so far in Vermont,
00:22both the tariffs and the way in which they are variable and changing quite a bit.
00:30And I want to take the opportunity to tell you,
00:32because I know you're concerned about the well-being of small businesses.
00:34I know you're concerned about the well-being of everyday consumers.
00:38But the tariffs are really, really troublesome in Vermont.
00:45Number one, our tourism is down about 40%.
00:49A lot of that has to do with the rhetoric that the president has used,
00:53and I don't hold you responsible for that.
00:57But the 51st state, the governor of Canada,
00:59that rhetoric has really inhibited Canadians from coming down.
01:05Steve Wright, who's the head of Jay Peak, a really prominent resort in northern Canada,
01:11got a call where 100 people from Canada canceled their trip to Vermont.
01:20You can't do anything, I guess, about that,
01:24but I hope to the extent you can urge the president to speak in a much more courteous way
01:29towards our Canadian neighbors.
01:30That's going to help us in Vermont.
01:32The other thing we're hearing about, or I'm hearing about,
01:36you know, Canada is Vermont's number one trade customer,
01:40$631 million worth of goods annually, 3,600 jobs in Vermont.
01:48And as a result of the tariffs, let me just give you some examples.
01:52And I appreciate you listening, but I really want Vermont to be heard
01:56as the concrete outcomes of what's happening and the way it's being done.
02:01Rovers North is a small business in Westford, Vermont.
02:03Vermont, they rehabbed Land Rovers.
02:08For the first time in 50 years, they had to have layoffs.
02:12Orvis, which is a world-renowned sports equipment fishing company,
02:20has been forced to close over half its stores
02:23and has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs.
02:26Very heartbreaking for us in Vermont.
02:29Jasper Hill Farms is an international award-winning cheesemaker,
02:33where it was started by two young brothers in Vermont.
02:37It has now achieved distinction worldwide.
02:41And Hill Farmstead Brewery, which is also started by a sixth-generation young man
02:49in Greensboro, Vermont.
02:53Both of those have seen their overhead and equipment costs double in price.
02:57They're losing business daily to Canadians
02:59because they don't come down for their visits to their companies.
03:07You know, when the global liberation tariffs were first announced in April,
03:12pardon me, of 25,
03:15President Trump excluded more than 1,000 products
03:19without providing any rationale for why those specific products were listed.
03:24And those exemptions were made, and it appears it was made,
03:29because whoever was on the receiving end
03:32had the ability to contact somebody in the White House to get an exemption.
03:37Our Vermonters don't have that telephone number.
03:41So we're just getting hit with these tariffs,
03:43and it looks like, to some extent,
03:45if you have access to the administration,
03:46you may get an end around and avoid them,
03:49which is really troubling to us in Vermont.
03:54We are having trouble getting the refunds.
03:56I heard the exchange, and I know that you have to follow the law.
03:59I heard you explain that.
04:00But just going through that has been really tough for us.
04:05So this is, I just want you to understand how tough this has been in Vermont.
04:11We really value our relationship with Canada,
04:14both emotionally and financially and economically,
04:18and the way the tariffs have changed constantly.
04:22And recently, just I think two days ago,
04:25the President has announced new tariffs that may go into effect.
04:28People just don't know what to count on,
04:31and it's hurting us badly.
04:32So I guess I'll end by just asking if you can give me some assurance
04:39that there'll be more clarity and certainty to the tariff policy,
04:45and frankly, a respectful engagement,
04:48even if negotiations are tough,
04:51but where we're treating Canadians
04:53as the longtime friends of Vermont that they've been.
04:56Thank you for listening, Mr. Ambassador.
05:00Just briefly, because it's out of time.
05:03Canada has benefited from the best trade agreement,
05:06even under the trade treatment,
05:08even under the President's trade policy since last April.
05:11The vast majority of what they're sending to us
05:13has come in preferentially.
05:14It has remained that way.
05:16It's been consistent that way.
05:17Even now, with the tailored actions we took this week,
05:21we're fighting against a ban on American liquor on shelves.
05:26We're fighting against hard caps on export American cars.
05:30So we've never banned Canadian products.
05:32We've never done that kind of thing.
05:34But we're fighting against caps on American cheese.
05:37I think about your cheese producers.
05:39They should be exporting more to Canada.
05:40Cannes refuse this.
05:41So we're trying to balance this relationship,
05:44have as much trade,
05:47you know, liberal trade in North America as possible
05:49while protecting our producers.
05:51It's not going to happen overnight.
05:53We didn't get into this problem overnight.
05:55It won't be fixed overnight.
05:55But I want to work with you.
05:57You've listed off a lot of companies.
05:58I'm happy to meet with them personally
06:00and talk to them.
06:01You know, sometimes it's tariff.
06:03Sometimes there are other things going on.
06:04But if there are things we can do
06:05to try to smooth this process for them,
06:07I want to work with you.
06:08Okay.
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