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Republican senator on steel, aluminum import tariffs: 'This is dumb'

Posted at 11:21 AM, May 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-01 06:55:37-04

Sen. Ben Sasse (R, Nebraska) didn't beat around the bush in his disapproval of President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. 

“This is dumb," Sasse said in his official statement, which he share on Twitter. "Europe, Canada, and Mexico are not China, and you don’t treat allies the same way you treat opponents. We’ve been down this road before—blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression. ‘Make America Great Again’ shouldn’t mean ‘Make America 1929 Again.' "

 

 

The trade penalties — 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum — take effect at midnight, CNN said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters Thursday.