Employees at a Kansas factory are voicing fear and anger after President Donald Trump placed their company in the crosshairs amid his escalating trade war with Canada.
The president threatened last week to ban sales from the Quebec-based jet manufacturer Bombardier, calling the company's products not "good enough," and workers at its U.S. headquarters in Wichita expressed anxiety about their job security, according to The Washington Post.
“This is ridiculous,” said an employee. “We have thousands of Americans working here, and I don’t want to be thinking about losing my job.”
"I'm scared about what this might mean for my job and my family," added one longtime engineer.
Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell, a Republican who once worked in Bombardier's Wichita flight-test operations, warned a ban would be "devastating" to the company and a "huge loss" for the region.
"It's rare that I go against the president in my comments," Howell said. "But no, he's not perfect, and I think that this is one of those things where I’m just shocked that he wanted to wade into this, because I don’t think it’s helping."
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), facing a tighter-than-expected reelection race against Democrat Adam Hamilton, said he'd contacted the White House about protecting Bombardier jobs and pushed for the company to expand its Kansas workforce instead.
Hamilton countered that Marshall's response came too late, saying, "Roger Marshall acts as though he's paid by the White House to be their spokesperson."
Aviation consultant Rolland Vincent said the dispute reflects the deep interdependence of the U.S. and Canadian aerospace industries, cautioning against dismissing the threat outright.
"It's a serious threat from a serious person," Vincent said. “Nobody wants to be on the headline when it comes to the anger of someone who’s got the power of the president.”
It marks the second time this year Trump has targeted Bombardier, after a January threat to revoke jet certifications went unfulfilled.
“I hope this blows over,” said a Bombardier employee. “I just want to do my job.”