Democrats in Senate Question Tariff Chaos
Senators from the swing state of Georgia, a major manufacturing hub for metal-intensive auto, aerospace and solar industries, say that business leaders are telling them that the see-sawing tariff announcements from the White House are unnerving and causing them to put the brakes on planning expansions.
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Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said in a hallway interview with International Trade Today at the Capitol, "I'm hearing from the leaders of businesses, large and small, that the chaos, the uncertainty, the whiplash is rapidly deteriorating the business environment and deterring investment in Georgia, and in the United States."
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said of business leaders in Georgia, "They are very nervous. One thing you need in business is certainty and predictability. Whatever it is, even if it's bad news, you want to know, but this back and forth is not helpful," he said in a hallway interview at the Capitol. "And I can tell you, as a member of the Finance Committee, with oversight over tariffs, I'm very focused on this issue."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also addressed the president's tariff policy, and said economic forecasters believe it will be a drag on the nation's economy.
"Donald Trump's erratic decisions -- 'yes, no, maybe, this country, that country' -- is creating havoc in the economy," he said. He said that a CNN poll found that 56% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy. "Some pundits say he won the election because of his performance on the economy. If now 56% of the people disapprove, he's not in very good electoral shape, now or in the future," he added.
"This week, forecasters say that thanks to Donald Trump’s chaos and tariffs, the odds of a dreaded recession have started to crawl up," he added. "One J.P. Morgan report puts it, alarmingly, at 40%."