GOP lawmaker fires back at Trump: ‘Tariffs are taxes’
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Tuesday ripped President Trump for the claims he made about trade, saying that the president’s “tariffs are taxes” and that other countries’ economic policies do not justify America’s “incompetence.”
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“Umm… no. Tariffs are taxes. American consumers are the ones who get hit with U.S.-imposed tariffs,” Amash, who has often criticized the president on economic issues, wrote on Twitter, quoting a previous tweet from the president claiming that, “Tariffs are the greatest!”
“The fact that other countries are bad at economics—and harm their own people with tariffs and other protectionist schemes—does not justify our own economic incompetence,” Amash added.
Umm…no. Tariffs are taxes. And American consumers are the ones who get hit with U.S.-imposed tariffs. The fact that other countries are bad at economics—and harm their own people with tariffs and other protectionist schemes—does not justify our own economic incompetence. https://t.co/Ev5uzBRGFT
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 24, 2018
His comments came shortly after Trump tweeted about how he expects other nations to negotiate fair trade deals with the U.S., saying that the U.S. has been treated like a ” ‘piggy bank’ that’s being robbed.”
“Tariffs are the greatest! Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on Trade negotiates a fair deal, or it gets hit with Tariffs,” Trump tweeted. “It’s as simple as that – and everybody’s talking! Remember, we are the ‘piggy bank’ that’s being robbed. All will be Great!”
The comment from Trump comes as the U.S. and China engage in a tense back-and-forth. Earlier this month, Trump announced a planned additional $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods. He also said last week that he is “ready to go” with levies on all Chinese imports.
China’s Ministry of Commerce claimed earlier this month that the U.S. was “fully responsible” for an escalating trade war between the two nations.
In addition to the relationship with China, Trump has drawn widespread scrutiny for his actions with U.S. allies. He ordered steel and aluminum tariffs in May in response to what he said was national security concerns.
Countries have vowed to respond to these efforts from Trump. On July 1, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs that targeted U.S. exports, passing duties on about $13 billion worth of U.S. goods.
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