Grassley Knocks Trump For Prompting Chinese Tariffs On US Agriculture

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 25: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) questions Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin during a Senate Finance Committee hearing concerning fiscal year 2018 budget proposals for the Department of Treasury ... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 25: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) questions Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin during a Senate Finance Committee hearing concerning fiscal year 2018 budget proposals for the Department of Treasury and tax reform, on Capitol Hill, May 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, Mnuchin pushed Congress to raise the debt limit before its August recess. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Wednesday lamented the new wave of Chinese tariffs on United States soybeans and other products and suggested that President Donald Trump should have known the tariffs he imposed on Chinese goods would prompt a reaction from China that would hurt American farmers.

Grassley said that he warned the President about this possibility in February and, in a statement, called on lawmakers to help the Americans who will be hurt by the new tariffs.

“The Administration knew that if it imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, China would retaliate against U.S. agriculture. I warned President Trump as much in a White House meeting in February,” Grassley said in the statement. “Today shows that’s exactly what happened. If the federal government takes action on trade that directly results in economic hardship for certain Americans, it has a responsibility to help those Americans and mitigate the damage it caused.”

Grassley, who is often quick to stand up for the agriculture industry in his state, said in the statement that he will address the impact of the new tariffs in the Senate Finance Committee and as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Trump administration imposed tariffs on China in retaliation for the country’s attempts to steal U.S. technologies and intellectual property. Trump, on the campaign trail, was skeptical of free trade, and pulled the U.S. out of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations soon after entering office. He has also pushed to re-write the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Latest Livewire
93
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for drtv drtv says:

    “Grassley Knocks Trump For Prompting Chinese Tariffs On US Agriculture.”

    Well, dumbass, what did you think was going to happen?

    Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind (Including, I hope, your removal from office…).

  2. Moral of the story the Trumpman and the farmers must be friends.

  3. Avatar for robso robso says:

    Chuck Grassley calls on lawmakers to help the Americans who will be hurt by the new tariffs. I call on voters.

  4. Well Chuckie, I’m sure you know by now that trump doesn’t care which Americans he hurts, as long as it’s not himself. Also, all that blathering you did to educate him abut tariffs? He wasn’t listening and he wouldn’t understand anyway.

    All he wants is to look tough and claim a win. If he loses, it’s someone else’s fault. Maybe you should get out of his way, Chuck, before he blames you.

  5. If the federal government takes action on trade that directly results in economic hardship for certain Americans, it has a responsibility to help those Americans and mitigate the damage it caused.”

    So let me get this straight
    They vote for Trump
    Trump does crazy shit
    We pick up the tab

    Through the looking glass

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

87 more replies

Participants

Avatar for someguy Avatar for marby Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for llamaspit Avatar for becca656 Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for sanni Avatar for rb639 Avatar for jhand Avatar for tena Avatar for gajake Avatar for rickjones Avatar for greysea Avatar for maximus Avatar for pike_bishop Avatar for demosthenes59 Avatar for dannysgrandma Avatar for drtv Avatar for justruss Avatar for bcgister

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: