Day 866: Trump spits fire about tariffs, but even GOP is extinguishing those flames
Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Mexican goods just hit a big potential roadblock. On Twitter, he’s trying to blame Democrats and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for getting in the way.
But really, he should be more concerned with his own party. It seems that many in the GOP have had enough with the rhetoric that has inflicted losses on both global markets and domestic farmers. Republicans are openly pushing back on the idea of more tariffs and rebuking Trump on the issue. There’s even talk about potentially overriding a presidential veto.
Republican senators sent the White House a sharp message on Tuesday, warning that they were almost uniformly opposed to President Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on Mexican imports, just hours after the president said lawmakers would be “foolish” to try to stop him.
Mr. Trump’s latest threat to impose 5 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico, rising to as high as 25 percent until the Mexican government stems the flow of migrants, has prompted some of the most serious defiance in the Republican ranks since the president took office.
They see the effect that a trade war would have on their home states and know they will be forced to answer some difficult questions if tariffs are implemented.
Texas would be hit the hardest by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, followed by Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A 25 percent tariff would threaten $26.75 billion of Texas imports.
“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.
If Mr. Trump were to declare an emergency to impose the tariffs, the House and the Senate could pass a resolution disapproving them. But such a resolution would almost certainly face a presidential veto, meaning that both the House and the Senate would have to muster two-thirds majorities to beat Mr. Trump.
“There is not much support for tariffs in my conference, that’s for sure,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader. “Our hope is that the tariffs will be avoided, and we will not have to answer any hypotheticals.”
Tying immigration to tariffs is already deeply unpopular among everyone but the most ardent Trump supporters. For Republicans, the practice flies in the face of decades of claiming to be in favor free trade. The increased price of goods eventually gets passed down to American consumers, which doesn’t benefit anyone. And should Mexico hit American exports with reciprocal tariffs — as their overtures indicate — the problem will get even more dire for U.S. businesses.
This is especially true for those that produce some of the largest exports to Mexico, such as machinery, plastics and agricultural goods. Businesses that have perishable goods for export will lose substantial sums of money with no way to ever make up the difference. Farmers have already seen this problem with regard to Chinese tariffs where Trump’s multiple bailouts have barely put a dent in losses.
866 days in, 596 to go
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