Statehouse News Bureau

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Brown Blames President Trump For Tariff Troubles

By Jo Ingles

Published September 3, 2019 at 9:27 PM EDT

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) [Dan Konik / Statehouse News Bureau] — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)

Ohio’s senior senator, Sherrod Brown, is critical of President Trump’s tariffs. Brown has advocated for tariffs against China in the past and says he doesn’t have problems with the idea. But Brown does have a problem with the way these tariffs have been put into place.

Farmers, companies and consumers are hurting right now because President Trump’s tariffs haven’t been implemented properly, according to Brown.

“Tariffs can work as long as they are a short-term, temporary tool to get to a long-term trade policy. It also means you work with your allies. You work with France and Germany and England and Italy and Canada to aim at the serial cheaters – the Chinese, the Koreans and the Turks,” Brown says.

But Brown says Trump has gone solo, and that could send the country into a recession. Trump defends the 15% tariffs put on $112 billion worth of Chinese goods on September 1. China retaliated with 5 to 10% tariffs on about $75 billon of U.S. goods. Trump says trade talks will happen this month but no date has been set.