Sánchez forces Republicans to go on record backing Trump’s chaotic trade policies
WASHINGTON – During the markup of the Republican tax bill, Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) introduced an amendment aimed at ending President Trump’s reckless trade agenda.
Despite the clear economic consequences of the president’s tariffs, the Republican-led committee blocked the amendment in a 19–26 party-line vote, putting every Republican member on record for the first time in support of the president’s chaotic trade policies.
Video of her statement introducing the amendment is available HERE and the text follows:
“Trump’s tariffs have only brought us economic pain, not results. For the first time since the pandemic, our economy shrank in the first quarter.
We now face the real risk of yet another Republican-led recession. Prices continue to rise and jobs are being lost or are in jeopardy, with farmers and small businesses feeling the brunt.
According to the Joint Economic Committee, employment at small businesses declined by 3 percent since President Trump took office. That is 366,400 jobs lost.
Americans are unsure of how to weather the day’s trade storm or what tariffs might hit them next. It’s time to end the economic damage and to restore stability.
Congress cannot sit idly by working on a tax bill while President Trump’s trade policies wipe out American jobs, businesses and economic stability.
That’s why I offered an amendment to eliminate President Trump’s global tariffs once and for all. This includes the baseline 10 percent on all countries and the massive looming additional tariffs. My amendment would also permanently remove the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico. No more so-called ‘temporary’ pauses that get turned on and off at the president’s whim.
Republicans will desperately argue there's strategy behind Trump’s approach. They’ll talk up ‘big’ trade deals. But let’s be honest: there are no real deals. It is all a smoke screen – just vague promises and walk-backs to hide the chaos and distract American families from the rising costs and economic uncertainty ahead.
Look at China. Trump talked a big game and bragged about his tough tariffs on China. But in reality, he got spooked by the market so he caved, temporarily dropping them from 145 percent to 30 percent in an effort to save face. And it looks like China gave us nothing meaningful in return. So Americans have to bear the brunt of his trade wars and with nothing to show for them.
President Trump said Americans will feel ‘short term’ pain for his tariffs. But what is the short term pain exactly? Higher prices and jobs lost? Declining investment in the United States? And no meaningful progress on fixing our trade imbalances?
But there is one person who seems to come out ahead time and time again: President Trump himself. He’s getting a new $300 million plane luxury from Qatar that he’ll keep once he leaves office. A gift that just happens to come after the Trump Organization announced plans to develop a $5.5 billion golf resort in Qatar. Just a coincidence, right?
This fits the pattern: rewarding countries that benefit Trump personally, punishing our allies like Canada, and going soft on authoritarian regimes like China and Russia. Meanwhile, it’s the American people who are left paying the price.
Trump’s tariff policies aren’t about trade. They’re about his own self-interests, chaos, and control. It’s time to end this grift and bring sanity back to our trade policy.
I encourage my Republican colleagues to strike Trump’s IEPPA tariffs and support my amendment.”
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