Duckworth at Center for American Progress: “By Praising Xi, Trump is Leaving American Consumers and Our Indo-Pacific Partners Behind”

September 22, 2026 Duckworth at Center for American Progress: “By Praising Xi, Trump is Leaving American Consumers and Our Indo-Pacific Partners Behind” [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Just two days ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping at the White House, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) outlined the stakes of this Trump-Xi summit and the impact it will have on our national security, our economy and our partners in the Indo-Pacific region. At the Center for American Progress (CAP), Duckworth shared her firsthand takeaways from her official trips this year to Taiwan , Japan , the Philippines and Singapore where top government, defense and economic leaders told her how Trump’s reckless trade wars and defense policies are hurting them, leaving them feeling left behind as Trump embraces President Xi, who continues to engage in economic coercion and aggression. Full video of the event can be found on CAP’s YouTube and photos from the event can be found on the Senator’s website . “President Trump is fundamentally unable to manage the United States’ relationship with the People’s Republic of China,” said Senator Duckworth, a member of both the U.S. Senate Committees on Foreign Relations (SFRC) and Armed Services (SASC). “A successful bilateral relationship doesn’t look like chaotic tariffs, leaving American farmers devastated, throwing our allies under the bus to cozy up to dictators and creating more challenges for Americans. It looks like protecting Americans from economic coercion and instability, finalizing real commitments on AI, protecting human rights and maintaining our advantages in the areas that matter the most while building our national security—not sacrificing all of these, which Trump continues to do.” During the event, Duckworth underscored the importance of being a reliable partner to our friends in the Indo-Pacific who are facing PRC coercion, emphasizing the need to secure our supply chains and protect American consumers. She pointed to the President’s reckless tariffs and illegal war as examples of how supply chain insecurity can impact our economy. The Senator also stressed that regional leaders have continued to innovate and drive forward the conversation on emerging issues, and it’s critical for the U.S. to engage with our partners and strategize to address these problems jointly. Duckworth continues to be a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations. She was the first U.S. Senator to visit Taiwan after the disastrous Trump-Xi summit where Donald Trump kowtowed to PRC President Xi and waffled on delivering a critical bipartisan arms package to Taiwan. Upon her arrival, Duckworth penned an op-ed underscoring that the United States’ commitment to Taiwan is steadfast—regardless of who is in the White House. The Senator also highlighted numerous ways she is working to strengthen their partnership and security in the Indo-Pacific region, including through her bipartisan Strategy for Crisis Management Act and South China Sea Strategy Act that both recently passed committee and now await a full Senate vote. The Senator’s Strategy for Crisis Management Act was one of several provisions she secured in this year’s committee-passed NDAA to enhance our readiness and coordination with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. This provision would help deescalate consequential crises short of war in the South China Sea. Among Duckworth’s other wins are provisions that would drive cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies and partners on asymmetric operations and improve medical preparedness and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Duckworth’s Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program—a program she championed in the FY2025 NDAA and continues to implement through provisions in this year’s NDAA—will help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where they often must travel long distances to receive care. -30- Print Tweet Previous Article