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Letter to the editor: Trump dumps local jobs, Brunswick Beacon



Donald Trump got 62% of Brunswick County’s votes. We got a trade war and spending cuts that cost us jobs.


The New York Times’ March 15 article, “Trade War Retaliation Will Hit Trump Voters Hardest,” details jobs lost from Trump’s trade war. Predictably, the countries Trump targeted are retaliating, especially against states Trump carried. China targeted farmers and carmakers. Canada targeted poultry plants and air-conditioning manufacturers. Europe targeted American steel mills and slaughterhouses.


Trump is squeezing NC’s farmers from both sides. Roughly 85% of the chemicals used by American farmers for fertilizer comes from Canada. Trump's tariffs significantly hike costs for American farmers while exposing them to retaliatory tariffs from Canada, Mexico and China, their three biggest export markets. 


Making matters worse, Trump axed the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which provided $30 million for NC food banks and schools to buy fresh produce and meat from local farmers and producers. 


NC leads the nation with $20.44 billion in renewable energy investments. Trump’s cuts pulled the plug on 17,148 clean energy jobs. 


Tariffs on steel and aluminum raise costs for carmakers nationwide, with NC among the states hardest hit.


Brunswick and neighboring counties Columbus, Pender, New Hanover and Bladen have 12,700 jobs in affected industries. NC has 281,300 jobs at risk.


It gets worse. Following the Project 2025 blueprint (which Trump falsely denied knowing anything about during his campaign) Trump cut funding for scientific research grants by the National Institutes of Health. Duke and UNC ranked 9th and 11th nationally in research grants, receiving a combined $1.2 billion in 2023. 


Penny Gordon-Larsen, UNC-Chapel Hill's Vice Chancellor for Research, said, "It's our economic engine for the state.” Research grants power 310 businesses, employ 14,000 people and generate $2 billion in NC salaries.


You didn’t vote for this. Call Sen. Tillis (202-224-6342). Tell him to stop Trump’s war on NC jobs.


Bob Bannerman

Supply

 
 
 

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