U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, voiced support for President Donald Trump’s Phase One trade agreement with China at a House Committee on Ways and Means hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Kelly, a senior member of the committee, spoke in support of the trade agreement that Trump and Chinese Premier Liu He signed Wednesday at the White House.

The agreement cuts some U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for China pledging to purchase more American farm, energy and manufactured products.

China has violated U.S. tariff rules on goods, including electrical steel produced by AK Steel in Butler, for 40 years, Kelly said.

Past presidents have said they are upset about the loss of American manufacturing jobs, but did nothing about it, he said.

“We will not be able to defend ourselves in the future if we don’t have strong steel, and strong farms and strong manufacturing. It’s just a fact of life,” Kelly told the committee.