Senate Republicans Are NOT Happy About Trump's Mexican Tariffs

Donald Trump 

Senate Republicans appear to be on a collision course with their own president over Donald Trump's announced plans to place big ticket tariffs on imports from Mexico.

Via The New York Times:

Republican senators sent the White House a sharp message on Tuesday, warning that they were almost uniformly opposed to President Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on Mexican imports, just hours after the president said lawmakers would be “foolish” to try to stop him.

“I want you to take a message back” to the White House, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, told the lawyers, according to people familiar with the meeting. Mr. Cruz warned that “you didn’t hear a single yes” from the Republican conference. He called the proposed tariffs a $30 billion tax increase on Texans.

Texas would be hit the hardest by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, followed by Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

A 25 percent tariff would threaten $26.75 billion of Texas imports. “We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the tariffs "a distraction:"

Pelosi on Trump's proposed Mexico tariffs: "It's wrong. I don't even think it rises to the level of policy. I think it's notion-mongering ... it's really, well, let's face what it is: It's a distraction from the Mueller report. And it's served its purpose. Here we are."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/jSsie1m0By

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 5, 2019

“Summing up the mood of the lunch, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said, according to sources familiar with the matter: The administration ‘trying to use tariffs to solve every problem but HIV and climate change.’” ⁦@burgessev⁩ & ⁦@JamesArkin⁩ https://t.co/hBldHNFDNC

— John Bresnahan (@BresPolitico) June 5, 2019

.@LACaldwellDC: "More than half a dozen Republicans stood up" to tell White House lawyers in a Tuesday meeting that they disagreed with administration's push for tariffs on Mexico.

"They offered tremendous warning signs to these White House officials saying: Don't move forward."

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 4, 2019