Trump Trade Policy A Failure - House Committee Meets Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- April 22, 2026 -- U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is testifying today before the House Ways and Means Committee on the Administration’s trade policy. The data shows it has been a costly mistake that has failed by even its own metrics of increasing manufacturing jobs and reducing the U.S. trade deficit.

Businesses in states represented by House Ways and Means Members paid $190 billion in extra tariffs between March 2025 and February 2026, including at least $113 billion in illegal IEEPA tariffs.

We Pay the Tariffs, a coalition of over 1,100 small businesses nationwide, is releasing this data as Ambassador Greer testifies before Congress and is calling on him to stop adding new tariffs while manufacturing jobs fall to decade-plus lows. In testimony before the committee today Ambassador Greer said that Administration trade policies are “bearing fruit for American workers.”

But says  Dan Anthony, Executive Director of We Pay the Tariffs, “Any objective look at the data shows administration trade policies have resulted in the lose-lose scenario of higher costs and fewer manufacturing jobs.”

One Year of Tariffs: Businesses and Workers are Paying a Steep Price

The $190 billion in extra tariffs paid by companies in states represented by Ways and Means Members from March 2025 to February 2026 included an estimated:

$113 billion in now-illegal IEEPA tariffs
$30 billion in Section 232 tariffs related to steel and aluminum
$25 billion in Section 232 tariffs related to autos and parts
$21 billion in Section 301 tariffs related to China
$1.4 billion in other Section 232 tariffs

The figures include $2.4 billion in extra tariffs paid by companies in Chairman Jason Smith’s home state of Missouri and $2.9 billion in extra tariffs paid by companies in Ranking Member Richard Neal’s home state of Massachusetts.

States where imports faced the highest average tariff increase included Oklahoma (+27.1%), Missouri (+26.1%), Nevada (+25.7%), Iowa (+25.3%), and Texas (+24.2%).

Despite these high costs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings database shows they have not produced a manufacturing revival.

A Lodge Called Folkestone - Grand Canyon

A Lodge Called Folkestone

The Dream, The Challenge, The People

 by Bob Kranich

(Excerpt 20)

“The Lodge Called Folkestone”. You may wonder why the first half of the book is about my many adventures throughout the USA. Well, this first part explains just why my interests changed from hot rodding cars to backpacking. How the idea of a lodge came about, and just how the lodge came to be in North Carolina and next to the Smoky Mountain National Park, Deep Campground to be exact.

Grand Canyon National Park: I arrived and looked around. The buildings were from an earlier era. They even had the old railroad passenger cars and terminal. It seemed like the old days when the railroad was the way to travel. I bought a good hiking map and a book about Mary Colter. She was the lady architect that designed six of the stone and log buildings for the Grand Canyon attractions in the early 1900’s. At that time, she worked for the Fred Harvey Hotels and Restaurants Company. I then found those buildings: the Lookout Studio, Bright Angel Lodge, and the Hopi House. Later, when I got to the bottom of the canyon, on the north side of the Colorado River, I saw the Phantom Ranch she had built.

I went to the camping area, and loaded my pack for another seven days. Six days of hiking and one backup. I figured that I could hike down into the canyon, and up to the North Rim in at least three days and two nights. After all, it was 24 miles. It was 9.6 miles down on the Bright Angel Trail to the river, across the bridge over the Colorado River, and then 14.3 miles through the Bright Angel Canyon up to the North Rim.

I started down, and as they say, you pass through time. Every minute was dynamic. There were even early Indian pictographs on some walls along the trail. I camped two nights, and then made the hard climb out of the canyon to the overlook on the North Rim. Then I had to do it all over, and hike down the North Rim trail, through the canyon, and back up the Bright Angel Trail.

I want to mention two special memories. The first one was that I took a short side trip, I think it was the Phantom Canyon. At one point, there was a grotto. Water was pouring over a smooth rock, and it had hollowed out the underneath. It was a beautiful sculpture! One worth praying at.
The second memory was the time I saw some deer walking along a trail, on the side of the Bright Angel Canyon. It was very steep, and they were acting just like mountain goats. I also saw them jump over cracks and broken parts of the trail they were on.
On my way to my next adventure, I was driving along from the Grand Canyon on this small, deserted two-lane road. Suddenly, the rear of my vehicle leaned to the right. I quickly came to a halt, and then pulled way over on the shoulder, and got out to take a look. My wheel, together with the rear axle, was halfway out of the housing. I jacked it up, took off the tire and rim, and figured out that my wheel bearing and retainer had failed.

It was late afternoon. I took a look at my map, and saw that the nearest town was twenty-three miles away. I decided that the next day, I would get my bike out, tie the heavy axle and bearing to the rear carrier, take some snacks and water, and ride my bike into town.

That night, I camped in my Ranchero right on the side of that road. The next day I made the trip into the small town, and again, the Good Lord blessed me. I found the only station in town that could press a new bearing with retainer onto my old axle. I rode back, put the assembly in, and before I knew it, I was on the road! Just a day’s delay.

Big Bend National Park: I was about to hike in an entirely different type of terrain. This was a hike where it seemed like every plant, bush, and piece of vegetation had some kind of sharp barb that wanted to stick into you. Also, you had to search and pray for water. It was the first time I had ever used my chlorine tablets. When I checked in with the ranger for my hiking and camping permit, he asked me, “What do you have to carry water?”

“I have two one-quart canteens,” I answered.

He cautioned, “You will need more. I am going to lend you my two-quart aluminum canteen. When you come back, please give me a report of the trails and the water you found.”

I took his advice, and was ever grateful for his extra water carrier.

I started off down the trail, and soon realized to not touch or brush against any of the plants. The ranger station is in the Chisos Basin, its elevation is 5,400 feet above sea level, and all the trails drop down to the semi-desert below. It was dry, hot, very different, but interesting.

The trail wound down from the South Rim and then, through a canyon. After that, it intersected with the outer mountain loop, the Dodson Trail. The first water I found was late in the first day. I came to a rundown clay brick shack, probably a herder’s shelter. There was a small seepage. It was kind of muddy. I did fill up one of my quart canteens and put in chlorine tablets.

When you camp, you have to make sure that you are not in an arroyo. That’s a dry riverbed. It is nice and level in these beds. But if it rains somewhere up in the hills, it can become a dangerous place. A wall of water may come plunging down upon you.

The next day, I was running out of water, and I lost the trail coming out of a dry riverbed. The trail had been marked by red flagging tied to bushes when there was a turn coming up. I was looking around, and saw some red on a nearby rise. I trudged up the hill, and when I got there, guess what? It was a red flower. I had to backtrack to the riverbed, and look around until I found the red ribbon that marked the trail.

When I came to a rise in the trail, I thought that I heard rushing water. As I came over the top, I looked down at a beautiful small stream. Now I know how someone that is hot and parched feels. I almost ran down to the stream, got on my knees, splashed water on my head, drank my fill, and then filled up all three of my canteens.

Sometime later, I came to a ranch house. It was deserted and locked, but you could look around. There was a small windmill there, and water. At one time, there must have been a cattle operation at this location. I hiked further, camped, and the next day climbed back up to the visitor center through a landmark that was called the Window. It was a low opening in the mountains surrounding the basin. It must have been a natural drainage for the basin.

I was finished with my three months western trip, and was ready to get back to Houston. I packed my hiking gear in the trusty old Ranchero, and drove the 500 plus miles back to Houston.

From the Author:

This is a new book. It is about the Lodge I built in the Smoky Mountains, near Bryson City, and Deep Creek campground, North Carolina. Having been from Florida, I know that a lot of Floridians love to visit the Smoky Mountains National Park. Therefore hopefully you will enjoy my story of the building of “A Lodge Called Folkestone”.

Hendry County Arrests - Drugs, DUI, Probation Violations

ARREST BLOTTER

04/13/2026 – 04/19/2026

Felony/DUI Arrest

Juventino R. Garcia Guzman, 30, LaBelle was arrested on April 1, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff A. Najjar on charges of DUI and DUI-Refusal to Submit to DUI Testing

Tanesha V. Douglas Maul, 31, Clewiston was arrested on April 14, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff J. Estiverne on charges of Aggravated Battery on Person 65 years of age or Older

Austin Levi Game, 32, LaBelle was arrested on April 15, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff S. Farraj on charges of Driving While License Suspended – Habitual Offender

Edwin Omar Harnandez Oliva, 35, LaBelle was arrested by Deputy Sheriff G. Hull on charges of Battery, Resist Arrest without Violence and Battery on LEO

Adrian Jae Delgado, 19, Immokalee was arrested on April,16, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff B. Barrira on charges of Possession of Synthetic Narcotics over 10 Grams

Charlie Zaidyn Micco, 19, Okeechobee was arrested on April 16, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff B. Barrira on charges of Possession of Synthetic Narcotic over 10 grams

16-year-old male, LaBelle was arrested on April 16, 2026, by Cpl. L. Drew on charges of Possession of Marijuana over 20 Grams, Driving While License Suspended, Violation of Felony Probation Violation, Opposing and Obstruction and Out of County Warrants

Luis Angel Fundora, 34, Clewiston, was arrested on April 17, 2026, by Cpl. L. Rodriguez on charges of Possession of Methamphetamine

Nathan Oliver Goforth, 45, LaBelle was arrested on April 17, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff H. Ramirez-Garcia on charges of Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon without Intent to Kill

Sergio Kevin Cedillo Zavala, 26, LaBelle was arrested on April 17, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff R. Gosa on charges of DUI

David Waylon Simmons, 44, LaBelle was arrested on April 17, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff R. Gosa on charges of Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Jasmine Olivia Joaceus, 28, Loxahatchee was arrested on April 18, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff R. Conant on charges of DUI, DUI – Property Damage, Hit and Run, Leaving the Scene of An Accident with Injuries and Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Property Damage

Dorothy Michelle Williams, 47, LaBelle was arrested on April 19,2026, by Deputy Sheriff S. Farraj for Driving While License Suspended – Habitual Offender

William Manrique Escobar, 28, LaBelle was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff S. Farraj on charges of DUI

Hannah Devoni-Lee Vazquez, 21, Clewiston was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff M. Ramos on charges of Violation of Conditional Release

Gerald Lee Dixon, 42, Clewiston was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff B. Dibernardino on charges of Felony Probation Violation

Rene Luis Iturralde, 32, Clewiston was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff G. Sosa on charges of Felony Failure to Appear

Orlando Rivera-Gonzales, 19, Lehigh Acres was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff R. Conant on charges of DUI and DUI – Property Damage

Gerald Lee Dixon, 42, Clewiston was arrested on April 19, 2026, by Deputy Sheriff B. Dibernardino on charges of Felony Probation Violation

Gabriela Ledezma Arrested On Vehicle Homicide Charge

The Florida Highway Patrol has conducted an exhaustive traffic homicide investigation into an October 1, 2025 (occurred at approximately 5:48 AM), three vehicle traffic crash on County Road 78 and Bonneville Street, Hendry County.

Vehicle 1 (SUV – Dodge Durango - Driven by Driver 1 - Gabriela Ledezma) was traveling east on County Road 78 at approximately 70 to 75 mph (posted 45 mph zone), approaching Bonneville Street.

Vehicle 2 (SUV) and Vehicle 3 (Nissan Pickup Truck traveling directly behind Vehicle 2) were traveling west on County Road 78, approaching Bonneville Street.

Vehicle 1 sideswiped Vehicle 2.

The front of Vehicle 1 then collided with the front of Vehicle 3. Vehicle 1 then overturned.

Driver 3 (Male, Age 45 of Labelle) was pronounced deceased on scene.

Driver 2 (Male, Age 42 of Labelle) was not injured.

On April 21, 2026, State Troopers placed Ledezma under arrest for a DUI Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide warrant stemming from the October 1, 2025, fatal traffic crash. Ledezma has been booked into the Hendry County Jail.

~Lab test determined Ledezma’s blood alcohol concentration level at the time of the October 1, 2025, crash was between a .08 and .13, along with testing positive for THC~

FHP Case Number: FHP25ON0462479

Deputy U. Granados-Gomez Honored At Appreciation Dinner

On April 16, 2026, Clewiston Elks Lodge #1853, hosted its Annual First Responder Appreciation Dinner in Clewiston. This year’s Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Deputy of the Year for 2026, Deputy U. Granados-Gomez.

Deputy Granados-Gomez was raised in LaBelle and graduated from LaBelle High School. While attending high school, he was involved with the Criminal Justice Program, becoming Captain of this program and the Vice Commander of the Honor Guard.

After graduation he enrolled in college earning a Certification in Corrections, graduating at the top of his class.

Deputy U. Granados-Gomez became employed with Hendry County Sheriff’s in March of 2024. Throughout his employment, Deputy Granados-Gomez has proven himself to be dependable, loyal, and a committed member of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.

He has continued to grow through the ranks and continue his education; Deputy Granados-Gomez also serves as the Court Officer of the Jail Division.

It is with pride that we announce Deputy Granados-Gomez Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Deputy of the Year – 2026.

(pictured left to right: Past Exalted Ruler, Ann Alvarez, HCSO Correctional Deputy U. Granados-Gomez, Lt. A. Hudson, and Sgt. M. Powell)