(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Reactions from Capitol Hill are starting to be heard after President Donald Trump announced his sweeping reciprocal tariffs and a baseline 10% tariff on all imports on Wednesday afternoon.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters after the ceremony on Wednesday that “these tariffs restore fair and reciprocal trade and level the playing field for American workers and innovators.” Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told CNN that he is “100%” behind the tariff announcement.
On Wednesday evening, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was one of four Republicans who voted with Democrats in favor of legislation to undo tariffs on Canada. In a statement following the vote, Senator McConnell said in part that “as I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most. Tariffs drive up the cost of goods and services. They are a tax on everyday working Americans. Preserving the long-term prosperity of American industry and workers requires working with our allies, not against them.”
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) was one of the first to react on Wednesday afternoon. She issued a statement saying “by declaring a worldwide trade war, the Administration is hurting American farmers, workers and consumers. Increasing input costs, shutting farmers out of export markets and causing middle-class families to pay more at the grocery store is not a winning strategy. Starting trade wars puts family farmers in the crosshairs for retaliation. In 2018, the Trump administration’s trade wars cost our farmers $30 billion in lost exports. The tariffs announced today are broader than in 2018 and come as farmers struggle with widespread uncertainty. The losses from this trade war will force farms to close.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, released a statement saying “the President’s new national sales tax on Americans is reckless, harmful, and could have irreversible consequences. This is the biggest tax increase in a generation, and will increase costs by more than $5,000 a year for the average family. The economic chaos and uncertainty the President is creating is endangering our economy. I support targeted tariffs to take on our adversaries, such as those used by the previous Trump, Biden, and Obama administration to counter China’s steel dumping. But the President’s across-the-board tariffs will only raise costs, hurt businesses, and eliminate jobs.”
Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-IL) issued a statement saying in part that “tariffs are taxes that will make it more expensive for families across Central and Northwestern Illinois to afford their groceries or buy a new home. The tariffs announced today by the President are going to cost my neighbors an additional $5,200 annually, while also punishing farmers who sell their crops around the world. Let me be clear: my number one priority is lowering costs for neighbors and these tariffs are taxes on working families.” You can hear more from Congressman Sorensen by watching the video HERE.
During an interview with MeidasTouch’s Ben Meiselas, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sharply criticized President Trump’s tariffs saying in part that “it was a bait and switch. He promised to lower costs. Costs are going up. This short-term pain? Only now he’s realizing what it means, but the pain is real. So my colleagues on both sides of the aisle — there’s inconvenience and there’s pain. … Pain is being left homeless, which a lot of people will be when they lose their jobs or can’t afford to pay the rent because of Donald Trump’s policies.”
Stay tuned for more reactions to the tariff announcement from Capitol Hill.
