Maine Sen. Angus King said he’s baffled by President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and he’s shocked the administration doesn’t think it will have a negative impact on the American economy.
King, I-Maine, said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday he’s already hearing from businesses in his home state who say the tariffs will hurt their bottom line.
“We don’t live in a static universe,” he said. “You can’t make a change of this significance and assume that nothing else is going to happen as a result.”
Trump announced Thursday he plans to put a 25 percent tax on steel imports and a 10 percent tax on aluminum imports. It’s an idea that’s been met with near universal condemnation from Democrats and much of the Republican establishment.
King said he could be in favor of tariffs on some imports, but not in the way the Trump administration is doing it.
He said there’s no reason to punish American allies like Canada, Germany, and Mexico with tariffs when Trump is trying to do damage to the Chinese economy.
“You want to do these kinds of things with a scalpel, not a chainsaw,” he said.
The fact that almost no one in Congress was consulted, and few people in the administration outside the Commerce Department knew that the decision was coming, is an indictment on the administration as well, King said.
“There’s a concern because … at least as far as anyone could tell earlier, there wasn’t a great deal (of consultation) outside of the Commerce Department,” he said.
“There is a concern. This is a very, very important decision and it’s one that could have long-term ramifications.”
