Republicans grow increasingly frustrated with Trump’s customs policy - Hill
More and more members of the Republican Party are becoming frustrated with US President Donald Trump's customs policy.
This is reported by The Hill, Censor.NET reports.
On April 8, the situation on the stock market improved after US Treasury Secretary Bessent said that Trump was ready to negotiate with countries on duties.
Trump also said he had a "great" conversation with South Korea's acting President Han Dak-soo, while Bessent said Japan and Vietnam were ready to conclude an agreement.
However, this did not last long, the publication writes. Later, Trump raised tariffs for China by 50%, bringing the total duties on Chinese goods to 104%.
Subsequently, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 300 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indices lost more than 1.5% and 2% respectively.
"The White House's rhetoric is worrying Republicans, who want the US government to start negotiating with other countries and prevent a trade war that is about to break out," the article says.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called for "a little patience" until the US begins negotiations with other countries.
The White House said that nearly 70 countries had requested talks. Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were appointed to lead the negotiations.
Greer defended Trump's customs policy in the US Senate Finance Committee. However, a number of Republicans had some pointed questions for him.
"Whose throat do I have to bite if it's not true? I wish you the best, but I'm sceptical," Senator Tom Tillis told Grimm.
Senator Chuck Grassley, who co-sponsored a bill to limit Trump's tariff authority, said that Congress has given Trump too much power.
The main concern of Senate Republicans is what they see as mixed messages coming from the White House, The Hill reports.
The confusion arose from statements by Bessent and Chief Trade Adviser Peter Navarro. One says that the US is ready to negotiate with other countries, while the other insists that new tariffs are not a topic for negotiation.
At the same time, Republicans understand that despite the statements of officials, there is only one person who will ultimately decide everything. This is Trump.
"The only person who matters is the president. This is his policy. He developed it. This is a reset. It's a big reset button," said Senator Josh Hawley.
Trump imposed tariffs
As a reminder, Trump signed a decree imposing a minimum 10 percent tariff on almost all goods entering the United States. For some countries, the tariffs are higher. In particular, China - 34%, the European Union - 20%.
Later it became known that Trump had declared a state of emergency in the country's economy.
The U.S. tariffs also affected Ukraine, with the U.S. imposing 10 percent duties on its goods.
China has announced that it will impose 34 percent duties on all American goods in response.
At the same time, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine believes that there are chances to negotiate other terms of trade with the United States. In addition, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko assured that the US duty will not affect the exchange rate or food prices in Ukraine.
