South Dakota’s lone US Representative said President Trump is laying out a strategic plan to reorder the American economy.
Those comments came after Trump imposed a 10 percent tariffs on almost all imported goods on Wednesday, and even higher ones on goods from other countries like the European Union, Japan and China.
“Hopefully we can get through this quickly," said Congressman Dusty Johnson, who says he's not a fan of tariffs as a long-standing part of the American economy.
"We can get more trade deals. We can get better treatment for American goods. That’s going to give us an opportunity not to have less trade, but to have more trade.”
Economists warn the taxes will result in higher prices and slower growth in the United States.
On Friday, China responded to the taxes with reciprocal 34 percent tariffs on all US imports. China is a large market for South Dakota soybeans.
“There’s not going to be unlimited appetite for that," Johnson said. "I’m most a fan of tariffs when they are targeted and strategic. Particularly related to key industries we need to maintain American control over—things like food and health care.”
However, some economists say if the goal is to reshore manufacturing, temporary tariffs might not work.
Johnson said the majority of South Dakotans will give President Trump some leeway.
“I do think the breadth and depth of the tariffs were quite a little bit broader than people assumed they would be. So, certainly Congress—like the American people—are trying to digest exactly what does this mean and how quickly might some of these be rolled back.”
Johnson said if tariffs bring other countries to the table for negotiations, he said the county could get better deals like it did when Trump renegotiated NAFTA during his first administration.
