Ross Burkhart, political scientist and professor in the School of Public Service, was quoted in a fact-checking PolitiFact article, “President Donald Trump said a cargo slowdown at U.S. ports is ‘a good thing.’ Economists say it’s not.”
Burkhart shared his expertise on trade policy in the article, discussing the potential international and domestic economic fallout from lower cargo traffic. Some of the effects he mentioned include job loss associated with both those who unload vessels and transport goods, as well as retailers with less on the shelves to sell, leading to lower amounts of money available to spend on goods.
“Idle transport networks mean layoffs, and job losses across multiple sectors lead to less income for consumer spending, even on domestic products,” Burkhart explained in the article. “None of this is a desirable situation for the U.S. economy.”