Newhouse, Republican Colleagues to President: Tariffs are Taxes on Trade

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement on joining 106 Republican colleagues in a letter to President Trump expressing deep concern that broad, global tariffs on aluminum and steel imports could have negative, unintended consequences on U.S. businesses and consumers:

"Trade supports jobs in Central Washington, and 40 percent of jobs in our state are tied to international trade," said Rep. Newhouse. "Tariffs are essentially taxes on trade that are passed on to American businesses and consumers, resulting in higher prices. As recently as 2016, Washington state produced and exported $7 billion worth of food and agricultural goods, making us one of the largest exporters of food and agriculture in the U.S. The success of our state and region's economy is tied to effective trade relationships with reliable partners who purchase our goods. I support targeting unfair trade practices of bad actors, but setting off a back and forth through broad, global tariffs can have unintended consequences that are harmful for economies like Central Washington's. I want to work with the Administration to ensure that our flourishing export economy in Washington and the jobs that depend on trade are not disrupted by retaliatory tariffs on goods we produce at home and sell abroad."

Click here to read the letter sent today to President Trump.