State of Tennessee Archives: on Free Trade
Bill Frist:
Increase trade by designating Tri-Cities as port of entry
U.S. Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and U.S. Representative Bill Jenkins (R-TN) today applauded the Department of Homeland Security for designating the Tri-Cities Regional Airport as an official Port of Entry for the Customs and
Border Protection Service."Today's announcement is great news for the Tri-Cities area," said Senator Frist. "The region's economy will be greatly enhanced by federal recognition and funding for the port of entry. It's been a long process but one that
is great news for the region," said Senator Alexander. "This move from the existing 'user fee' funded port to a federally recognized port will significantly enhance the region's import and export efforts and overall economic development strategy."
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2010 Tennessee Senate incumbents
Oct 4, 2008
Bill Hagerty:
Stand with Trump on being firm with China
Hagerty says, "The president has stood firm against China," he said. "He's stood up to China on their theft of intellectual property. He's stood up to China on their use of state owned enterprises to compete unfairly. And he stood up to China for
forcing American companies to give up their ownerships and expose their entire networks, if they wanted to do business in China. We finally have a president that is willing to face it head on and I'm willing to stand right by his side."
Source: The Citizen Tribune on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Oct 27, 2019
Bill Hagerty:
Decrease our strategic dependency on China
From Huawei to unfair trade to oppressive human rights violations, China has been working to compromise our security, weaken our economy, and harm our society.
Since taking office, however, President Trump is standing up to China and fighting back to level the playing field, secure our nation, and decrease our strategic dependency on China.
Source: Breitbart News on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Mar 18, 2020
Bill Lee:
Opposes Trump's tariffs on China
Q: Support Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?
Karl Dean (D): No.
Bill Lee (R): No.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Bob Corker:
Break down trade barriers to give farmers a world market
In order to keep our Tennessee economy growing, we need to:- Keep taxes low and ensure our tax policy encourages innovation.
- Break down trade barriers in other countries so that Tennessee farmers and manufacturers have a level playing field
to sell their products all over the world.
Action Plan for the Future: As our next United States Senator, Bob Corker will work to:- Make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
- Advocate for trade agreements that open markets for Tennessee products.
Source: Campaign materials, “Blueprint for Tennessee”
Oct 1, 2006
Bob Corker:
Supports free trade, but anomalies need to be addressed
We have 4.5% of the world's population in America. We've got 22% of the world's economic output. If we want the standard of living for Americans to continue to grow we've got to do business with people around the world.
Are there some anomalies that exist? We recruited a lot of car manufacturing to our state.
In some cases we're competing directly with Mexico for lots of reasons, whether it's a tariff reason or a labor reason. There's no question that our state's resources have been spent
in incentive agreements and other things to overcome those things. So, there is a little bit of a something there that needs to be addressed.
Source: Susan Glasser on Politico.com on 2018 Tennessee Senate race
Feb 13, 2017
Gordon Ball:
Fair trade is vital; but don't ship jobs overseas
To grow our economy, we need to sell our products to the rest of the world. But we have to have a level playing field, strong trade laws and strong enforcement. As a Senator, I will look hard at any trade agreement to determine how it would impact jobs
here in Tennessee.Fair trade is vital to our nation's economic future. Trade can create new jobs in exporting industries, expand markets for our businesses, and ensure our workers and businesses are competing on a level playing field in the global
marketplace. But for too long, our workers, small businesses, and manufacturers have paid a steep price for an outdated trade agenda. I will fight wrong-headed trade policies that ship jobs overseas and shutter manufacturing facilities. That means
fighting back against currency manipulation by trading partners. We need a trade agenda that promotes American workers and helps expand the "Made in America" label to markets around the world.
Source: 2014 Tennessee Senate campaign website, GordonBallSenate.com
Aug 7, 2014
James Mackler:
Renegotiate NAFTA; it hurts American workers
Americans can benefit from a global economy but only if we stop being taken advantage of in bad trade deals.
James will never support a trade deal that hurts American workers or helps companies ship our jobs overseas. He'll work to re-negotiate deals that have been a disaster for our workforce, starting with NAFTA.
Source: 2018 Tennessee Senatorial website JamesMackler.com
Oct 1, 2017
James Mackler:
Trade war with China is a disaster
Mackler accused Trump of causing rural hospitals in Tennessee to close and taking away health care from hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans.
Mackler said Trump's tax cuts are making it easier for jobs to move overseas and called the nation's trade war with China "a disaster."
Source: The Tennessean on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Jan 8, 2019
Karl Dean:
Opposes Trump's tariffs on China
Q: Support Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?
Karl Dean (D): No.
Bill Lee (R): No.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Lamar Alexander:
Increase trade by designating Tri-Cities as port of entry
U.S. Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and U.S. Representative Bill Jenkins (R-TN) today applauded the Department of Homeland Security for designating the Tri-Cities Regional Airport as an official Port of Entry for the Customs and
Border Protection Service."The Tri-Cities Airport has been waiting for years to become an official Port of Entry for the Customs and Border Protection Service, so today's announcement is great news for the region," said Senator Alexander. "This move
from the existing 'user fee' funded port to a federally recognized port will significantly enhance the region's import and export efforts and overall economic development strategy.
Senator Frist has really led the way on this."
Said Senator Frist, "The region's economy will be greatly enhanced by federal recognition and funding for the port of entry."
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2010 Tennessee Senate incumbents
Oct 4, 2008
Manny Sethi:
Need a second Industrial Revolution to bring jobs back to US
"All these Washington insiders, career politicians, have sold American jobs down the drain to save a buck," he said. "It's not just the healthcare supply chain;
it's so many others that we rely on."We need to have a second Industrial Revolution in this country and bring these jobs back here."
Source: Hartsville Vidette on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Jun 6, 2020
Marsha Blackburn:
Trump's tariifs are a bad deal for Tennesseans
Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel and other products?Marsha Blackburn (R):
Still considering but "increasingly concerned these tariffs are a bad deal for Tennesseans."
Phil Bredesen (D): No. "The same as a new tax on Tennesseans."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Phil Bredesen:
Trump's tariifs are same as a new tax on Tennesseans
Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel and other products?Marsha Blackburn (R):
Still considering but "increasingly concerned these tariffs are a bad deal for Tennesseans."
Phil Bredesen (D): No. "The same as a new tax on Tennesseans."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Gloria Johnson:
Strengthen trade partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region
I believe that our foremost responsibility is to be a voice for peace, while honoring our commitment to preserving democracy and avoiding sending American troops to fight overseas. With China, we need to focus on strengthening trade partnerships in the
Asia-Pacific region to counter China's influence, and increase competition through technological innovations.
Source: Nashville Tennessean on 2024 Tennessee Senate race
Jul 1, 2024
Bill Hagerty:
Criticized Walmart for claiming tariffs raised prices
Q: In the short term, if Walmart decides that they have to raise prices, do you think that that's un-American, effectively?HAGERTY: I think Walmart's gonna have to make some decisions; Walmart has the broadest base of
American clients there is. I think they're gonna be very careful about how they do this. I know that they've received some criticism from the president. I think they need to think hard.
Source: The New Republic, "Tariffs," on 2026 Tennessee Senate race
May 19, 2025
Marsha Blackburn:
Doesn't believe tariffs will lead to price increases
Economists predict tariffs will raise prices. Senator Blackburn says she expects tariffs to contribute to the economy. "We know that there will be some tariffs. The expectation is that the American people are not going to see increases in prices.
What they will see is inflation come down. We are hopeful that they are also going to see wage growth and a more vibrant economy," said Blackburn.
Source: WBBJ ABC-7 Eyewitness News on 2026 Tennessee Senate race
Feb 13, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026