Negotiations with China are still ongoing, setting American consumers up for burdensome price hikes this summer. China said they will raise tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods on June 1 in retaliation for the Administration’s decision last week to raise duties on Chinese goods.

Food products such as honey, peanut oil, and some alcoholic beverages will see immediate price increases. If you’re looking to do any home improvements, expect to see higher costs for bricks, panels, floor tiles and tools used for milling or drilling. That family camping trip is going to cost more as well, sleeping bags, rubber boots, and walking sticks will also see the effects of tariffs. Those who prefer to spend the summer days indoors will see price hikes for televisions, headphones and other audio equipment. In fact, experts are calling these tariffs one of the largest tax increases in 25 years.

Agriculture and agribusiness are simply not top priorities for the Congressman, and no one ever really thought they were. During his 2018 campaign, farm groups had expressed apprehension, stating that they felt Armstrong doesn’t grasp their issues. They were right to be concerned.

As a candidate, Kelly Armstrong was not one to shy away from taking a position on the Trade War, but as a Congressman? He hasn’t spoken one word about it. Perhaps Congressman Armstrong thinks it best to fly under the radar in the hopes that the trade war will end soon, or perhaps he simply doesn’t care. One thing is for sure: come re-election time, Kelly Armstrong won’t be able to ignore the farmers he has failed to stand up for in Washington, anymore.

Republican Leaders from the top agriculture-producing states have spoken up. Senator Kevin Cramer has been dutifully cheering on the Administration from the sidelines, and Senator John Hoeven is out parroting false claims that ignore basic economics. And our lone Congressman, Kelly Armstrong? Well, he has said . . . nothing. Nothing at all. His website shows no statement regarding the failed negotiations. His social media is lively but in regards to the trade war? Dead silence. How can our lone Congressman have nothing to say?

“When you are the only Congressman for a state like North Dakota, you have to understand agribusiness, and when your constituents are putting their livelihoods on the line, you cannot remain silent – you just can’t,” said Alison Jones, Communications Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. “North Dakotans at least deserve to know if Congressman Armstrong will stand up to the Administration or will blindly cheer for reckless strategies that continue to devastate North Dakota’s agriculture economy. They deserve better than Kelly Armstrong’s silence.”

However, Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee has had absolutely no issue parroting these inaccurate claims. He stated the trade war continues to generate revenue for the United States, which could be used to fund aid to farmers. The Associated Press was compelled to correct Hoeven’s inaccurate statement. The truth is, tariffs are not paid for by China, but by American companies, farmers, and consumers.

“The trade war is adversely affecting the entire nation, with an emphasis on North Dakota’s farming community. Farmers cannot be forced to live in limbo while their Senator is in desperate need of an Economics 101 class,” said Alison Jones, Communications Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. “It’s one thing to defend the Administration if you feel it’s in the best interest of the country, but Senator John Hoeven should know better than to spread inaccuracies to his own constituents.”

On the short end of the stick? Farmers. In the first quarter alone, income for American farmers plummeted $11.8 billion. Farmers in North Dakota have watched several tons of soybeans rot, and have been forced to pay higher prices for farm equipment, as John Deere and Caterpillar announced they would raise their prices to adjust for the higher price of steel and aluminum imports because of tariffs placed by the Administration. Instead of putting their foot down and demanding action, Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, along with Congressman Armstrong, have stood idly by, following the lead of the Administration.

“North Dakota’s delegation in Washington keeps telling the state’s farmers that they need to be patient. Farmers do not have that luxury. Crops go bad, and livestock doesn’t live forever,” said Alison Jones, Communications Director for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. “Senator Cramer, Senator Hoeven, and Congressman Armstrong have shown little interest in standing up to this Administration to put an end to this unnecessary trade war, adding yet another insult to farmers who have already lost so much in the process.”

Here is a brief refresher: North Dakota Land Commissioner Jodi Smith revealed in March that two constitutional funds dedicated to the state’s public schools million were short by $137 million. Days later, State Engineer Garland Erbele told a Senate committee that the Resources Trust Fund that benefits water projects was short by $125 million. $262 million mandated by the North Dakota Constitution was misplaced. Treasurer Schmidt was responsible for transferring those funds.

“When public employees across the state have gone without adequate pay raises in years, it is outrageous that Governor Burgum would sign a budget that will give State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt an 8% raise,” said Kylie Oversen, Chair of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. “Doug Burgum promised North Dakotans in 2016 that he was going to make state government run like a business. I don’t know of any business that would give an employee an 8% raise after mismanaging $262 million.”

In the private sector, a mistake costing $1,000 would lead to an employee being fired. In North Dakota state government, a mistake that went on for a decade costing $262 million does not garner any sort of repercussion. The raise Governor Burgum and Republican legislators are giving Schmidt far exceeds what they are willing to give other state employees like plow drivers; but who needs them, right?