U.S. Senator Dave McCormick says Pennsylvanians should be optimistic about the future of the economy, even amid continued uncertainty around tariffs.
McCormick hosted a roundtable discussion with local business leaders Tuesday in State College. After the event, he spoke briefly with reporters. McCormick said he acknowledges the uncertainty surrounding tariffs, but he said they will eventually lead to more fair trading practices with Europe, Canada, Mexico and China.
“That's going to be good for some businesses because there’ll be a much more competitive playing field," McCormick said. "It's going to be good for consumers. It's going to be good for the real economy. That’s the goal.”
Following the largest stock market drop since the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump issued a 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs, except against China. The United States now has a 145% tariff on most Chinese imports. Still, some economists worry about a possible recession.
McCormick said past presidents have claimed they would negotiate better trade deals, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“We need to make that transition," McCormick said. "I think there's ways to do that in a way that’ll be great for our economy. And so I do think it's worth making the tough choices to get there, and I think that’s what President Trump is trying to do.”
McCormick said he’s hosting meetings with business leaders across Pennsylvania to give them clarity on what’s happening around tariffs and inform their investment decisions.
Response to some international Penn State students whose visas were recently revoked
At least 14 Penn State international students have recently had their visas revoked because of retail theft, marijuana possession or DUI.
McCormick said legal immigration has been "the driver of growth and opportunity and innovation" in the United States. He also said the country has had "huge challenges" with illegal immigration and people who have violated the terms of their visas.
Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said none of the impacted Penn State students had prior criminal convictions or had been convicted of a crime.
McCormick said the U.S. needs to reform its legal immigration process while also enforcing immigration law and securing the border.
"I think we can do both at the same time, but it has to start with enforcing the law," McCormick said.
Response to proposal to defund NPR and PBS
The Trump administration plans to introduce a vote to Congress to end federal funding for public media, including NPR and PBS. That's according to an anonymous White House official who spoke to NPR.
According to the NPR story, the Trump administration plans to send the memo to Congress when it reconvenes on April 28, starting a 45-day window for the House and the Senate to possibly rescind funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds NPR, PBS and member stations like WPSU.
McCormick said NPR and PBS's programming is overly left-leaning.
"I think that if government funding is going to be used to support public broadcasting or other things, it needs to be not politically motivated," McCormick said.
McCormick did not directly say if he would or would not vote to defund public broadcasting.
"I'm all in favor of public broadcasting in the sense that we're giving neutral, objective news to people," McCormick said. "I think it's important that our citizens be informed."
The CEOs of both NPR and PBS testified last month before a House subcommittee on government efficiency and argued against accusations of bias.
