As residents and businesses in TX-3 watch the U.S. escalate a tariff war big enough to jolt the global economy, Congressman Keith Self has finally broken his silence. Not with a plan. Not with a press conference. And certainly not with any practical guidance for the people he represents.
Instead, he took to X (formerly Twitter, still not great for nuance) to celebrate… Kosovo.
In a post yesterday, Rep Self commended Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani for a “tremendous lesson in leadership” after she requested that her government suspend its 10% tariff on U.S. imports. Let’s pause there. She didn’t suspend anything — she asked. Symbolically. Nicely. Politely. But in Kosovo’s government, trade decisions aren’t made by the president. That power lies with the Prime Minister and cabinet.
Now wouldn’t that be something — if Congress actually got to weigh in on trade decisions around here?
But back to Kosovo: as well-intentioned as Osmani’s statement was, it amounts to diplomacy by press release, not policy.
Still, Rep Self applauded the move and suggested other European leaders should follow her example. Maybe they will. Or maybe they’ll look at the numbers and realize Kosovo’s entire export value to the U.S. in 2023 was $102.5 million — which, while appreciated, is a rounding error in American trade data. That’s about 0.0033% of total U.S. imports. For scale? Texans probably spend that much each year on brisket and Big Red — and no, we’re not kidding.
Meanwhile, in the actual trade war, China has announced a 34% retaliatory tariff on all U.S. imports, effective April 10. That’s in direct response to President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff package, which includes the same 34% hit on Chinese goods. Since then, the markets have been on edge — dropping another 1,000 points as of this morning. Economists are sounding alarms. And across Texas, from cattle ranches to tech manufactures, exporters are holding their breath.
So far, Rep. Self hasn’t said a word about that.
- No breakdown of how the China tariffs might impact businesses in Collin or Hunt counties.
- No reassurance for manufacturers relying on global supply chains.
- No strategy for dealing with what could hit everything from agriculture to retail.
Just… Yay Kosovo.
To be fair, President Osmani’s gesture was friendly and pro-American. Kosovo has long been a U.S. ally, and that’s worth acknowledging. But spotlighting a symbolic statement from a small Balkan nation — while ignoring the very real consequences of a tariff war with the world’s second-largest economy — is a curious choice.
It might make for a good tweet, but it’s not going to shield TX-3 from the economic fallout.
Diplomacy has its place. Symbolism has its place. But in times like these, we expect focus — and follow-through — from our elected officials.
North Texans are paying attention. And at this moment, we’d trade a dozen friendly soundbites for one real plan.
TX3DNews will continue tracking how these global decisions ripple through our local economy — and who’s paying attention.
