U.S. Senator Ted Cruz toured Abilene manufacturer Hartmann’s Inc. today. Hartmann’s produces products for a range of industries including medical, aerospace and automotive. The U.S. Small Business Administration named Hartmann’s the 2023 Exporter of the Year for the South-Central Region. Their primary export destinations are Japan and the European Union.
But CEO Alan Hartmann says it’s not a level playing field, and he was glad for the opportunity to share his thoughts on making American manufacturing competitive with Senator Cruz, “Lower cost manufacturing companies do not always have the world’s health interests at heart.”
Hartmann laid out his ideas for assessing tariffs on imports based on a ranking system, “America’s here,” Hartmann indicated a high level with his hand.“ Where do these competing companies rank on, what are their health insurance benefits to their employees, what are working conditions, child labor, and/or trafficking, environmental EPA concerns, insurance concerns? Because those are things that we all have to do to make a great product. They do not.”
After the tour Senator Cruz said his number one priority is jobs, “2/3 of all new jobs come from small businesses. If you create an environment where small businesses are prospering, they’re growing, they’re expanding, you get lots and lots of jobs.”
Cruz said his formula for job creation is cutting taxes and regulations. While Cruz did not comment on his tariff plans, Hartmann said he felt the senator was receptive.