GOP senator: Trump’s policies doing ‘permanent damage’

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) warned on Sunday that President Trump’s policies on trade are starting to do “permanent damage.”

Johnson said during an interview with New York AM 970 radio host John Catsimatidis that his state of Wisconsin has “been particularly targeted” by China’s recently imposed tariffs, which came in response to Trump’s trade measure against the country.

{mosads}Johnson told Catsimatidis that the steel tariffs are “hitting us pretty hard,” adding that he’s heard of price increases of 30 to 40 percent.

“The problem with that is it raises the cost of American-manufactured products, Wisconsin-manufactured products, which makes them less competitive on the global trade market,” Johnson said.

The senator said Trump is “absolutely right” to demand reciprocal trade, but that he hopes Trump will quickly resolve the escalating trade dispute because “right now there is some permanent damage being done.”

Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods earlier this month, prompting reciprocal tariffs from China on American products.

China also accused Trump of launching “the biggest trade war in economic history.”

The Trump administration later announced that it would impose a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. The country has also promised to retaliate for those tariffs.