President Trump enjoys an unusual amount of tolerance from the farmers and ranchers who are the targets of retaliatory tariffs by U.S. trading partners, said Republican senators on Tuesday. “They’re clearly concerned, as I am,” said Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt. “It’s hard to win a trade war.”
The senators commented about the mood in their home states hours before U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer announced his office, at Trump’s direction, would “begin the process of imposing tariffs of 10 percent on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports.” The tariffs are the promised White House reply to China’s retaliatory tariffs of 25 percent on $34 billion of U.S. farm and industrial goods.
Blunt said Missouri farmers show a marked forbearance with Trump’s tactics of confrontation and demands for change. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said supporters are not abandoning Trump but “the nervousness and the uncertainty creates a lot of problems.” There has been some progress on NAFTA, said Grassley, and Trump believes the United States has greater staying power than China in their trade dispute. “I’m not even trying” to say when that dispute will be over, said the Iowan. “I can tell you, I hope it ends yesterday.”
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts said up to $30 billion was believed available for help agricultural producers survive unfair Chinese retaliation, double the figure the administration circulated in the spring. It would be hard to apportion the money fairly, he said. Asked if export subsidies were a possibility, Roberts said the administration was unlikely accept that approach.
“We’ve got to stop breaking glass,” said Roberts. “The law of unintended consequences is catching up.” Construction costs for new houses in Kansas are climbing and some businesses face rising costs for raw materials because of tit-for-tat tariffs. Voters are beginning to become impatient.