Bredesen talks tariffs, Asian carp

Brandon Shields | Jackson Sun

Former Tennessee Governor and current candidate for Senator Phil Bredesen was in Jackson on Friday to talk about a couple of key issues in the campaign ahead of the Aug. 2 primary elections.

Tariffs recently established on products going to various trade partners such as China, Mexico and Canada are putting a financial strain on some Tennessee farmers and concerning others for the future.

“Some farmers are fortunate that most of their crop has already been sold, but there are others that are already being affected,” Bredesen said. “But the ones who aren’t affected yet are worried about next year’s sales and how they’ll be affected.”

Bredesen met with farmers and bankers earlier in the day in Fayette County, and he said he was told of how concern over tariffs have already affected a farmer he talked with.

“One farmer I was talking to today was telling me how he passed up on an opportunity to expand his production because he wasn’t sure if that expansion would be worth the investment because of how these tariffs are affecting sales to our biggest trade partners,” Bredesen said. “That expansion would’ve meant he’d need to hire 25 more workers, so that’s 25 jobs in Fayette County that are lost because of these tariffs.”

Bredesen has been outspoken about the tariffs in advertisements and at speaking opportunities, but he’s been quick to make sure people know that if President Donald Trump, who’s a Republican, proposes anything that he feels is good for Tennessee, he’d be on board with it.

“In the advertisement that I first made that statement, that is the advertisement I’ve had the most reaction to in my entire political career,” Bredesen said. “And I think that says a lot about the political climate in our nation today.

“Americans are tired of everybody sticking with their party and deciding if they’re in a party they’ve got to side with the President on every issue or oppose him on every issue, depending on their party. Our country needs people who will do what’s best for the people and not the party.”

Bredesen was also one of the first candidates for a position at the statewide level to express the need to address the Asian carp situation in Kentucky Lake and the rest of the Tennessee River.

Asian carp have overrun parts of the Mississippi River and have moved into the Tennessee River over the last few years and have affected the ecosystem in different areas.

Bass and crappie fishing have decreased in those areas because they’re losing their food source and areas to lay their eggs because Asian carp are eating algae and grass in the water.

“This isn’t an issue that will make the front page or the op-ed page of the Washington Post, but it’s an important issue to Tennesseans,” Bredesen said. “It’s having a huge effect on the economy in areas around the rivers, and it’s an important issue.”

Bredesen said he wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the problem until he went to a fish fry in Paris and talked to a large number of fishermen.

“It’s a big issue for them and an important issue,” Bredesen said. “And a lot of the political conversation in our state right now are about the same general issues, and this is something else that’s worth discussing. And if we can do something, let’s see if we can get it done.”

Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.