After President Trump ordered stiff tariffs be imposed on Mexico, Canada and China, most Republicans in Congress stayed silent or praised his actions even as their constituents expressed anxiety about rising prices on everything from crops to cars to household appliances.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the rare Republican who regularly criticizes the president, was an exception, writing on X that “tariffs are simply taxes. Conservatives once united against new taxes. Taxing trade will mean less trade and higher prices.”
It was a position in line with what almost all Democrats said as they tried to drive home to voters that Mr. Trump, who campaigned on lowering costs, was doing the opposite.
Some Republicans over the weekend did cheer Mr. Trump’s policy — “Ohio is open for business and will roll out the red carpet for any company manufacturing in America!” Senator Bernie Moreno wrote on X — but Mr. Paul’s statement indicated that at least some Republicans know tariffs could lead to costs that will be passed onto American consumers, even if they’re unlikely to say so and get crosswise of Mr. Trump.
Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, who represents a district won by Kamala Harris last year and remains one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House, was among the few who expressed skepticism of the policy. Mr. Bacon said he was confused about using tariffs to negotiate a better trade deal with Canada. “We already had a trade agreement and it was a good trade agreement,” he said on CNN. “It’s hard for me to square that circle. We’ll see what the impacts are over the next couple of weeks, maybe it’s a chance to maybe rethink we’re at, at that point.”
Mr. Bacon did not criticize Mr. Trump outright, but he tried to offer some carefully worded advice. “I would suggest focusing on China and Russia,” he said. “They are our adversaries and China does do illegal trade practices. And that’s where I would put my emphasis.”
Republican leaders, however, were falling in line. “I support what the president’s doing,” Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, said Sunday on Fox News. “We need to get rid of the fentanyl. We need to tell China as well as Mexico as well as Canada to get the, to get the fentanyl out of our country.”
The Trump administration has said one of the driving forces behind the steep tariffs is to stem the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the country.
Democrats, in contrast, spent the weekend hammering the message that Mr. Trump was responsible for making life in America more expensive.
“In one reckless move, the president just raised the price you pay for gas, the truck you drive to work, a computer for your small business and everything at the grocery store, from avocados to tequila,” said Representative Gabe Vasquez, Democrat of New Mexico.
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and minority leader, said that “it would be nice if Donald Trump could start focusing on getting the prices down instead of making them go up.”
Some congressional lawmakers said there would be direct effects on specific industries in their states. Representative Joe Courtney, Democrat of Connecticut, said the tariffs would increase costs for U.S. shipbuilders in his state and slow production at a time when the Navy has been making a demand for a large naval fleet.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, said that her state’s farming and manufacturing sectors would be “crushed” by the tariffs.
In Texas, which counts on Mexico as its largest trading partner, Representative Jasmine Crockett said residents will be hit from all sides.
“A trade war with Mexico will hit Texas farmers, ranchers, producers, manufacturers, and other business owners especially hard, hiking their costs and weakening demand for the goods they produce,” she said. “We’ll pay more for nearly everything we buy, and have a harder time selling the things we produce.”
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