WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 16: Representative Scott Perry, (R-FL) speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on September 16, 2020 in Washington, DC. The hearing is investigating the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:25 PM PT – Sunday, February 28, 2021
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said the U.S. must separate its economy from malign Chinese influence, which poses a threat to national security. The Pennsylvania congressman said many retailers across the U.S. had already replaced many Chinese products with imports from other countries.
Perry added U.S. consumers must take responsibility to stand up to China. He made these remarks at the CPAC event in Orlando, Florida:
“It has to start a little bit at a time, you know, we do buy things from China. I will tell you, I’ve gone to Walmart and my 9-year-old daughter turns things over to see where they come from. There’s nothing that stops me from picking up the phone or talking to the information desk at the store and saying ‘you know what, I don’t want you to buy stuff from China, I’m willing to pay more.’”
.@RepScottPerry explains how we can decouple from China. #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/d21p4DPq5d
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 28, 2021
Economists said the U.S. started to build supply chains around China under the Trump administration by replacing Chinese imports with products from Southeast Asia. Perry argued that this de-coupling must continue.
