Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is withholding judgment on President-elect Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a key piece of his trade policy until their potential impact can be seen more clearly. Grassley says he generally holds an unfavorable view of tariffs.
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However, Grassley believes Trump will use them more as a negotiating tool with bad actors on the world’s economic stage rather than a broad policy position.
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Opponents of Trump’s tariff policy argue that it will lead to higher consumer prices or retaliatory tariffs, while proponents say it will make American products more competitive against foreign imports. Grassley says he does not favor the tariff route but is willing to wait and see what results it brings.
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Grassley made his comments on Tuesday morning during his weekly Capitol Hill Report with Iowa reporters.