Farmers, Lawmakers Nervous About Tariff Retaliations

Lawmakers, farmers and agriculture trade groups voiced worries about the effect of tariffs on rural communities during a July 18 House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing. "Most of our agriculture producers today rely heavily on export markets, and unfortunately, many of these farmers and producers are now facing the loss of not just one of their top international export markets, but their top 2, 3 and 4 export markets -- all at once," Chairman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said in an opening statement. "They are facing severe and devastating uncertainty -- and that goes right to their profitability." In response to recent sections 232 and 301 tariffs, "U.S. agriculture is now facing retaliatory tariffs from the EU, China, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Russia and India," he said. "Now, I know that the administration did not intend for U.S. agriculture to be hurt, but the damage is entirely predictable."

Ranking member Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., complained in his opening statement that "the Committee Republicans did not call an Administration witness to this hearing to explain President [Donald] Trump’s erratic trade actions." That applies to a July 24 hearing on Section 232 tariffs, too (see 1807180045), as "Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross should be here listening to our witnesses as well and be held accountable for this Administration’s irrational actions," he said. The use of "tariffs should be temporary, targeted, and strategic," Pascrell said. "They should be a means, not an end. They should be a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. I fear with this President they are being used as the latter, and while some in the domestic steel industry might be seeing a benefit today, tomorrow’s economic outlook is uncertain for all of us."