Democrats are forcing a vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday that will make Republicans fall on their swords to protect Donald Trump’s disastrous 25 percent tariff tax on Canadian goods.
The legislation is the handiwork of Sens. Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and Amy Klobuchar, and at the least, the flood of no votes from Senate Republicans and whatever John Fetterman is will put them on the record backing the tax increases.
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“President Trump’s taxes on Canadian goods have sent our economy into chaos, and Americans aren’t buying what he’s selling. They know they will pay the price with higher costs for everyday items, and their confidence in the economy is the lowest it has been in recent years,” Kaine said.
“Many of my Republican colleagues in Congress have already expressed concerns about these tariffs, so the Senate’s upcoming vote on our legislation provides senators with the perfect opportunity to show Americans that they will stand up for their constituents and reverse the president’s disastrous economic policies,” Kaine said.
Yeah, fat chance of that happening.
Team Trump sent Peter Navarro, with the fancy job title “White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing,” over to Fox News on Sunday to tell Senate Republicans how they need to vote.
“The message is that tariffs are tax cuts, tariffs are jobs, tariffs for national security, tariffs are great for America, tariffs will make America great again,” Navarro said on a hit on “Fox News Sunday.”
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
“Trump’s tariffs on Canada are a self-inflicted wound – raising prices for American consumers, hurting workers, and straining one of our closest trade partnerships,” Warner said. “Now my Republican colleagues have an opportunity to weigh in. Will they stand up for the American people or continue us down this damaging path?”
Specific to Virginia, Canada is our largest export market, accounting for 15 percent of Virginia exports in 2024. The top goods exported to Canada include motor vehicles and transportation equipment, such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Southwest Virginia is, in particular, in the crosshairs: 56.1 percent of Southwest Virginia’s economic output is dependent on trade.
Southwest Virginia, incidentally, is Trump territory.
Oddly, the congressman from Southwest Virginia, MAGA Republican Morgan Griffith, has exercised his right to remain silent on the Trump tariffs that are about to devastate his region’s economy.
We all get it; he speaks out against the tariffs, Trump and Elon Musk fund another MAGA to primary him next year.
Griffith, it would seem, is looking out for himself more than his voters.
Typical MAGA suit.
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Chris Graham
