Republican Senator Pat Roberts criticized President Donald Trump administration’s trade dispute with China on Wednesday, stating that farmers and ranchers should not be Trump’s collateral damage.
“These are real people, real families. You don’t use them as a playing card,” Roberts, who serves as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told The Kansas City Star. “I think that’s the most upsetting thing that has happened.”
According to The Hill, Trump’s administration finds itself in a trade dispute with Beijing after the White House on Tuesday detailed a $50 billion tariff package on China, with 25 percent tariffs being leveled on imports of Chinese electronics, shoes, furniture and other goods.
As retaliation, Beijing on Wednesday imposed 25 percent tariffs on imports of U.S. soybeans, corn, airplanes and automobiles with about $50 billion worth of goods.
As result of the tariffs, commodity futures in the stock market plummeted.
“It’s very disconcerting,” Roberts told the publication. “We do have a little time to round up the farm posse and get our message across.”
Meanwhile, Roberts is not the only Republican to criticize the tariffs.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley on Wednesday stated that agriculture industry workers are not the ones that need to carry the brunt of China’s retaliation against U.S. tariffs on their backs.
“The United States should take action to defend its interests when any foreign nation isn’t playing by the rules or refuses to police itself. But farmers and ranchers shouldn’t be expected to bear the brunt of retaliation for the entire country,” Grassley said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said President Trump on Tuesday reassured him that farmers would not be hurt by an ongoing trade dispute with China.
“If these tariffs actually come into play, it’s going concerning to our farmers. But I talked to the President as recently as last night. And he said, ‘Sonny, you can assure your farmers out there that we’re not going to allow them to be the casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We’re going to take care of our American farmers. You can tell them that directly’,” the secretary said.
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