Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., told Newsmax on Friday that President Donald Trump's plan to raise tariffs on global trading partners won't "spark a trade war," pushing back on concerns about potential effects on the international market.
This week, Trump ordered his administration to look into imposing tariffs on many of the country's largest trading partners, which he noted could raise prices in the U.S. in the "short term."
"Well, I think everybody is tired of being ripped off at this point," Moore said on "Wake Up America."
The congressman added that the tariffs won't "spark a trade war," adding that the move is about "getting countries to lower their tariffs" on the U.S.
"The United States has done a very good job at creating free trade. But for other countries, that's the problem here, right?" Moore said. "So these other countries have had unfettered access to the greatest consumer market on the face of the planet, the United States. While there is no reciprocity for our manufacturers here to be able to export or have access to those markets. So that's not fair."
The congressman continued.
"As President Trump has said, he is for free trade, but he is also for fair trade and my legislation would give the president even greater latitude to impose reciprocity with these countries, specifically as it relates to non-tariff trade barriers," he said.
"So those are non-tariffs which could be subsidies. It could be regulations set in those countries that also prohibit access to those markets. And that's a really important aspect of this that we can't forget."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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