WASHINGTON (WCAX) – Vermont Sen. Peter Welch demanded answers from the nominee for the nation’s top trade job during a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.
Jamieson Greer is President Trump’s nominee for U.S. trade representative.
Greer promised to follow the president’s lead on strict trade policies, including the heavy use of taxes on foreign goods. He said the policy will push for well-paying jobs making goods and services in the U.S.
Welch said the strategy will have an untold cost on Vermonters. He said tariffs on imports from Canada and retaliatory tariffs could mean higher costs and layoffs for Vermonters.
“This has a huge impact on Vermont. You know, we do most of our trade with Canada. And we had a roundtable, and I just asked various businesses—we had over 150 businesses on this call. And it was everyone from a large, very successful construction company, PC Construction, to a woman who gets yarn and does weaving, and organic farmers. Every one of these people was just stunned at the implications that these out-of-the-blue threats of tariffs were going to have on their businesses. I mean, don’t people deserve a heads up in Vermont before they get whacked with what appears to be a tariff for an individual objective of President Trump?” said Welch, D-Vermont.
Greer reiterated Trump’s message that the proposed tariffs are to stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Trump has already levied an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods.
He paused the 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods for 30 days.
