By Greg Halbleib
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood says tariffs have their place, but must be used carefully.
LaHood (R-Peoria) said the current round of tariffs imposed by President Trump have hurt consumers and producers.
“I think tariffs are taxes, and they’re taxes on consumers,” LaHood told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin. “I look at what tariffs are doing to our farmers in Central Illinois, and they’re causing retaliation from the Chinese and from other countries.”
LaHood said imposing large tariffs on Chinese goods has hurt soybean farmers because of China’s retaliatory tariffs on the crop. LaHood says tariffs are most effective when selectively used, and with trading allies.
“I do think that tariffs in a surgical way, in a small way, can be used for leverage to get better trade deals,” LaHood said. “But I think you’ve got to do it with other partners. You’ve got to do it with the Eureopeans who have traditionally been our trading partners. You have to do it with the Japanese who have been a good ally.”
This afternoon, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said the Trump administration would be offering a $12 billion emergency aid package that will use existing funding to mitigate the estimated $11 billion impact of the tariffs other countries have imposed on domestic agriculture exports. Perdue called it a “short-term solution” while the administration works to get better long-term trade deals.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
