Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., an outspoken critic of President Trump, ripped President Trump’s tariffs and planned exemptions for tariffs, after the president approved tariffs on steel and aluminum, but left the door open for some exemptions.
“When you say ‘All right, let’s have tariffs, but let’s couple that with uncertainty,’ that’s almost worse,” Flake told NBC’s Chuck Todd during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I mean, those are dual poisons to the economy. Tariffs are awful. Tariffs married to uncertainty is probably even worse.”
“And to have a president in a position to say, ‘All right, Australia, all right what are you going to do for me?’ Or wake up one day and say, ‘You know, let’s impose more tariffs here or there,’ that’s an awful situation to be in, where one person is basically deciding tariffs go up or down depending on what kind of behavior,” Flake added. “Is it something else he doesn’t like? It’s not the way to do business.”
Last week, Flake said he was planning to introduce legislation that would nullify the tariffs. He told Todd the legislation should be introduced “now.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told CNN’s “State of the Union” he would support legislation that would revoke the tariffs, but said he didn’t think the legislation would pass.
“I would, but I doubt it would have any chance of passing or, even if it passed, that we would have the votes to override the veto,” Johnson said Sunday.
Trump signed two orders last week that imposed a 25 percent tariff to most steel imports and a 10 percent tariff to most aluminum imports.
However, Canada and Mexico will be exempt from the tariffs if they renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Additionally, Trump has indicated other allies may receive exemptions as well.
Flake announced late last year that he would not be running for re-election in 2018. He served in the House for seven terms and was elected to the Senate in 2012.
