'Devastating for the Republican Party': Trump attacks Dem for move to block Canada tariffs
President Donald Trump lashed out at Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) for trying to derail tariffs on Canadian goods, a move that the commander-in-chief said would be "devastating for the Republican Party."
In a Washington Post op-ed, Kaine explained that he was forcing a Senate vote on Trump's Canadian tariffs because the "cost will be borne by American families."
"President Donald Trump is abusing emergency powers to impose tariffs on Canada that will raise prices for American families and alienate one of our closest allies — so I'm forcing a vote to challenge him," Kaine wrote. "Tariffs are taxes on everyday Americans, with price hikes on nearly all basic goods being passed down to consumers."
By one measure, Kaine estimated that American families would pay an additional $2,000 per year on average because of the tariffs.
"The emergency powers Trump is invoking — based on provisions of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act — are intended for use in legitimate emergencies related to foreign threats and adversaries," he added. "He has made spurious claims of a fentanyl crisis at the northern border on par with the drug situation at the southern border, but his numbers don't add up."
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On Tuesday, Trump slammed Kaine for daring to take action against his agenda.
"Senator Tim Kaine, who ran against me with Crooked Hillary in 2016, is trying to halt our critical Tariffs on deadly Fentanyl coming in from Canada," Trump wrote. "Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the National Emergency in place, so we can finish the job, and end the scourge."
"Major additional progress is being made. Don't let the Democrats have a Victory. It would be devastating for the Republican Party and, far more importantly, for the United States."