WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on President Trump’s threat to impose 50 percent tariffs on Brazil as retaliation for the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is charged with attempting to stage a coup against current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva:
“American families are going to see higher prices on everyday goods like coffee because of the political whims of President Trump. This move makes little sense even by the President’s own standards, with the U.S. running a trade surplus with Brazil, and will only add to the chaos that businesses and exporters feel right now. Americans deserve a President who will put their household finances first, not the political fortunes of corrupt foreign cronies.”
This week, Ranking Member Shaheen and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) led an amicus brief opposing the Trump Administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy sweeping tariffs as IEEPA is not a tariff statute.
###