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Va. Gov. Northam talks trade policy, Charlottesville and more

WASHINGTON 鈥 On his monthly appearance in the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center for the Ask the Governor program, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam discussed a variety of topics, including school safety, the Trump administration鈥檚 trade policies and the upcoming anniversary of the white nationalist protest in Charlottesville.

Foreign trade

Coming back from his first international trade trip to England, Germany and Italy, Northam said, the overall message from allied countries was worry about trade policies 鈥 particularly tariffs 鈥 and other relationships in the face of President Donald Trump鈥檚 recent foreign trip and comments he has made denigrating the value of those alliances.

Taking Commerce Secretary Brian Ball and Agriculture Secretary Bettina Ring with him on the trip, Northam said he spoke with vendors who do business with Virginia, as well as businesses he鈥檇 like to lure to the commonwealth.

鈥淭hey know that our unemployment rate is good here; they know that we are really focused on workforce development. I was really pleased with the mission, and I think we got some great companies that are looking at doing business in Virginia.鈥

He boasted that the UK has agreed to sell the products of several Virginia breweries, including Licking Hole Creek and Port City.

At the London Air Show, the first stop on the mission, Northam said, he talked with vendors particularly concerned with tariffs on metals and soybeans. He laid that concern at the feet of the administration.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced an 鈥渆mergency鈥 plan for $12 billion of aid for farmers who are being hurt by the agricultural tariffs, on the same day the president called tariffs 鈥渢he greatest.鈥

Northam didn鈥檛 mince words. Saying 鈥淲e live in a world economy,鈥 Northam asked rhetorically, 鈥淲here does this stop?鈥

He called the tariffs 鈥渧ery detrimental to the business world in the United States.鈥

鈥淲ith policy after policy that鈥檚 detrimental, I would just 鈥 wonder when Americans are going to call BS on this president.鈥

Northam emphasized that he grew up on, and still has, a farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

鈥淎s we speak, there are soybeans in our fields,鈥 Northam said. 鈥淎nd there鈥檚 a risk of those soybeans staying in those fields because we can鈥檛 sell them.鈥

鈥淲e鈥檙e not looking for bailouts,鈥 Northam said, speaking of farmers; 鈥渨e鈥檙e just looking for a level playing field.鈥

鈥淏efore he makes decisions such as this, at least talk to people out there and get some information and realize what we鈥檙e up against.鈥

Charlottesville

Next month sees the anniversary of the white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that claimed the life of counter-protester Heather Heyer, as well as two Virginia state troopers who died in a helicopter crash. Northam on Wednesday called the day 鈥渁 tremendous tragedy鈥 and said state authorities had 鈥渓earned a lot of lessons from that.鈥

On Tuesday, rally organizer Jason Kessler dropped his efforts to get a permit for another Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville to mark the anniversary, saying he would focus his efforts on a D.C. rally instead.

Northam recalled going to Charlottesville with then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Justin Fairfax, now the lieutenant governor, last Aug. 12, the day of the rally.

鈥淚 was proud鈥 to go in and say 鈥淭his is not Virginia; this is not America,鈥 Northam said. 鈥淲e are not gonna condone this hatred and bigotry; you can go back to wherever you came from and don鈥檛 come back.鈥 I hope Mr. Kessler has received that message.鈥

While a large rally isn鈥檛 scheduled, there are indications that gatherings small enough not to require permits will still happen in Charlottesville. The governor said that the state had stepped up its efforts alongside local governments, local law enforcement and the state police on safety efforts. He mentioned the possible closing of roads, but didn鈥檛 give more details. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done everything that we can to prevent that from happening again in Virginia.鈥

He also said the message 鈥渘eeds to start at the top.鈥

鈥淰irginia is a welcoming state. Our lights are on; our doors are open. We鈥檙e not here to promote hatred and bigotry.鈥 He called on President Trump to spread the same message, referring to the president鈥檚 gaffe when talking about the rally participants last year.

鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 fine people,鈥 Northam said; 鈥渢hey鈥檙e racists, they鈥檙e white supremacists, and there鈥檚 no room for them in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any room for them in this great country of ours.鈥

Northam returned to the theme later, responding to a Facebook question about Confederate statues: 鈥淚f there are statues that promote the hatred and bigotry we saw in Charlottesville, they should be put in a museum and the rest of the story should be told,鈥 the governor said. 鈥淲e have a diverse society and we want to be welcoming.鈥

Schools

In answer to a listener鈥檚 call, Northam reinforced his opposition to so-called school choice legislation, which would give parents public money to send their children to nonpublic schools.

Northam said that while 鈥渨e鈥檙e fortunate in Virginia to have a lot of options鈥 in educating children, he said, 鈥淲e need to make sure that our public K-12 is as strong as possible.鈥

He pointed to teacher pay as a problem in state education.

鈥淭eachers make an average of $9,200 less than the national average.鈥 In order to recruit and retain talented teachers, Northam said, 鈥渨e need to pay them.鈥

Northam also cited a need for smaller class sizes and the importance of creative thinking: 鈥淲e need to stop teaching our children how to take multiple-choice tests.鈥

He characterized vouchers as a step to 鈥渢ake funding away from public schools,鈥 and said, 鈥淲e can鈥檛 go out on a limb and [take] more resources 鈥 away from K-12.鈥

School security

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Richmond is studying ways to keep children safer in school, and Gov. Northam has convened a working group of 20 experts to study the same issue.

Northam said he brought his group together because the lawmakers鈥 group 鈥渄idn鈥檛 address the gun-control issue to the extent that I would like to see.鈥

He added that the state had recently received a $1 million grant for more school resource officers, but emphasized that he is 鈥渁bsolutely against鈥 arming teachers. Citing his own professorship at Eastern Virginia Medical School and his wife鈥檚 job as a science teacher, he said, 鈥渢eachers do not go to school to be police officers.鈥

He said that his group would come up with legislation to help keep students safe, and he assumed the lawmakers鈥 group would too.

鈥淲e do things the Virginia way. I don鈥檛 have a monopoly on ideas, so I will listen to the ideas that come from both [groups] and then we鈥檒l talk about legislation.鈥

Lee County has recently voted to allow up to 50 teachers and school staff to carry guns, even though firearms are prohibited on school property under Virginia law. Asked whether the state would challenge the school system, Northam said Attorney General Mark Herring 鈥渋s looking at making a ruling on whether this is legal in the Commonwealth of Virginia,鈥 and that he would leave the determination on whether to proceed up to Herring.

I-66 tolls

Northam agreed with a questioner that the time limits on the E-ZPass Flex are 鈥渞idiculous.鈥 If it鈥檚 not used in six months, it鈥檚 shut off; if the HOV mode isn鈥檛 used in six months, 鈥渢hey request it back.鈥

The governor said recently 鈥淚 had some issues with my E-ZPass,鈥 and has asked the state transportation secretary to look into the issue. 鈥淪tay tuned; we鈥檙e going to take care of this.鈥

Business rankings

In CNBC鈥檚 recent rankings of the best states for business, Virginia has moved up to No. 4, up from No. 7 last year and No. 13 the year before that. Northam crowed about the status, and predicted the commonwealth would soon battle for the top spot, as it did before the 2008 recession.

He said that comprehensive regulatory reform, especially in the health care industry, as well as a tax code that is 鈥渟imple and fair,鈥 would help in that goal, as well as workforce training.

Northam said his administration was working with colleges on affordability and asking businesses about the kinds of skills they need from their workers, and he mentioned Virginia鈥檚 23 community colleges and its apprenticeship program.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a stigma 鈥 and my wife and I are probably as guilty as anyone, that if our children don鈥檛 go to a four-year college, they鈥檙e not gonna be successful. But a lot of these high-tech jobs don鈥檛 require a four-year education.鈥

The cost of living, especially in Northern Virginia, was a weak point in the commonwealth鈥檚 ranking. Northam said housing costs were a big factor in that, noting how many people work in the higher-cost areas of the D.C. region, but can鈥檛 afford to live there. The governor said he met with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on the issue and will meet with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan soon, focusing on either subsidies or credits to builders.

Other issues

Northam reiterated his support for an increase in the minimum wage in Virginia, which currently stands at $7.25 an hour. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nobody who can support themselves, let alone their family鈥 on that, he said.

He supports a gradual raise to $15, which has been introduced in the General Assembly 鈥測ear after year. 鈥 That鈥檚 not gonna happen overnight, but we need to make sure people can support themselves and their families when they go to work every day.鈥

The governor also sympathized with a listener concerned about the burden placed on her daughter, who was recently released from prison and is unable to get a driver鈥檚 license until her restitution is paid back. 鈥淲e want to make sure that the fines 鈥 don鈥檛 impair people from doing things like getting their driver鈥檚 license, getting a job, because how are you even supposed to pay for these if you can鈥檛 get to work and you can鈥檛 get a job?鈥

Northam also said that he supported Attorney General Herring in his decision not to challenge a court ruling that Virginia House district boundaries should be redrawn because they were drawn based on race. The state has spent up to $5 million defending the lines, which Northam said was a poor use of taxpayer money.

鈥淲e have a great opportunity in Virginia right now to address the gerrymandering,鈥 Northam said. 鈥淚 have always supported nonpartisan redistricting and will continue to do so.鈥

鈥楾he Bachelorette鈥

Northam joked about his appearance on 鈥淭he Bachelorette,鈥 saying, 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 offered a rose, and I have been asked to keep my daytime job.鈥

Reports said the state鈥檚 tourism board paid $536,000 in incentives to lure the show to Virginia, and Northam said it was a good investment.

鈥淚t鈥檚 part of promoting tourism in Virginia,鈥 the commonwealth鈥檚 fifth-largest industry, Northam said. 鈥淚t brought millions of viewers to Richmond, [and] I think we鈥檝e already seen good results.鈥

July 25, 2018 | Va. Gov. Ralph Northam on 91欧美激情, minus commercials, traffic and weather (91欧美激情 Staff)

Rick Massimo

Rick Massimo came to 91欧美激情, and to Washington, in 2013 after having lived in Providence, R.I., since he was a child.聽He's the author of "A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set" and "I Got a Song: A History of the Newport Folk Festival."

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