Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., left, talks with Headmaster Stephen Shipp Friday during a visit to Seven Oaks Classical School. (Jeff Norris / Courtesy photo)
ELLETTSVILLE — Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., isn’t a fan of government aid, but he said the $16 billion bailout for farmers hurt by recent tariffs is a necessary casualty in the larger fight to hold China accountable for unfair trade practices.
“First of all, I’m one that doesn’t like any of the things that government does to fix a problem, you know, when they’ve created it,” he said. “I’m also a realist and know that when it comes to trade we’re dealing with, with China, it had to be done because they behave unlike any other country that is out there on the world arena.”
The Republican senator was speaking Friday during a visit to Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville. He toured the repurposed building — once the Ellettsville Elementary School — and spoke at a school-wide assembly before taking questions from local media representatives. Bobby Nasir and his wife, Erum, invited Braun to the charter school their children, Matthew and Ilyssa, attend.
“We’re very proud of the way our kids have excelled here,” Bobby Nasir said.
“At the third-year mark, we thought it was important for somebody at the federal level to take notice and showcase the great progress of the school.”
During an interview in Headmaster Stephen Shipp’s office, Braun said China targeted the U.S. soybean market for its retaliatory tariffs because many farmers are supporters of President Donald Trump. He said the $16 billion should be enough to offset the impact those tariffs have had on the soybean market in the short term, but it does not address all the issues facing farmers.
Braun said the U.S. farm market is in a situation of chronic overproduction. In addition, it’s increasingly dominated and controlled by larger corporations that sell products to farmers. Those corporations doubled and sometimes tripled in size from 2009 to 2013, he said.
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