President Trump touted the benefits tariffs will bring to American farmers and the U.S. economy as part of his speech to Congress on Tuesday.
“We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth, and we will not let that happen any longer,” he said.
He asked farmers to bear with him during an adjustment period similar to the 2018 tariffs on China.
“Our farmers are going to have a field day right now, so to our farmers have a lot of fun, I love you too,” he says.
He said higher tariffs by other countries, including Canada, Mexico, and China, are unfair and will be reciprocated.
“Whatever they tax us, we will tax them,” he said. “If they do nonmonetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we will do nonmonetary barriers to keep them out of our market.”
Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin was selected by her party to give a rebuttal after Trump’s address, saying Americans are ultimately the ones paying for his economic plans.
“Grocery and home prices are going up, not down,” she said. “And he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those. His tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber, and cars, and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers.”
She emphasized the need to bring down prices, including groceries, and make changes without chaos and security risks.
Democratic ag leaders say the tariffs jeopardize farm operations, market access, and the nation’s food supply.
Canada is placing 25 percent tariffs on U.S. imports in response to Trump’s, including an extensive list of agricultural goods from dairy and poultry to ag equipment and small grains. China has announced it will halt some soybean imports, and Mexico is planning for trade retaliation.
During the address, Trump also claimed Biden caused high egg prices despite record depopulations following highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks this winter.
