TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (L) and China's President Xi Jinping leave a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Donald Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to work "hard" and act fast to help resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, during their meeting in Beijing on November 9, warning that "time is quickly running out". / AFP PHOTO / Nicolas ASFOURI (Photo credit should read NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump pose for photographs at the White House October 11, 2017 in Washington, DC. The United States, Canada and Mexico are currently engaged in renegotiating the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) QUEBEC CITY, QC - JUNE 08: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau (R) speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 official welcome at Le Manoir Richelieu on day one of the G7 meeting on June 8, 2018 in Quebec City, Canada. Canada will host the leaders of the UK, Italy, the US, France, Germany and Japan for the two day summit, in the town of La Malbaie. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) President Donald Trump leaves the White House on May 25, 2018 in Washington, DC., for a trip to Annapolis to address the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremonies. (Photo by Oliver Contreras/SIPA USA)(Sipa via AP Images) (CNN) — Republicans on Capitol Hill were fuming after the White House abruptly announced it would begin imposing steel and aluminum tariffs Friday on US allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The move Thursday came after Republicans had tried to convince the administration for months to target China with tariffs rather than US trading partners, and it could trigger Republicans on Capitol Hill to consider taking action against their own President on trade. “I disagree with this decision,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who had quietly tried to convince Trump to hold back on the action, said in a statement. “There are better ways to help American workers and consumers. I intend to keep working with the president on those better options.” RELATED: Trump hits allies with metal tariffs; Mexico, EU and Canada vow to retaliate The clear – and public – break between the President and top congressional Republicans had been simmering for months, with weeks of behind-the-scenes efforts to walk back, or just water down, what Trump and his team pledged to put in place. But Thursday’s move underscored the depth of the divide between the two sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, even as a legislative counter to the action was far from a sure thing, aides said. For Republican lawmakers, the administration’s decision came as a surprise, according to several senior GOP aides. Republicans didn’t get wind that it might be coming until Wednesday evening, and the White House briefing for congressional staff didn’t take place until after the announcement. One Republican senator, who asked not to be identified, complained Thursday about President Donald Trump’s decision to impose the tariffs, 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports. “I don’t like trade wars. There are no winners in trade wars. And this scares me,” the senator said. For his part, Trump has largely maintained his own posture on tariffs – one he highlighted with a single two-word tweet on Thursday: “FAIR TRADE!” – on the grounds that he was pursuing “reciprocal trade,” even amid warring factions over the efficacy of the strategy inside the White House. The exemptions for allies that had been initially proposed were considered a potential piece of the ongoing negotiations with Canada and Mexico over a revised North American Free Trade Agreement, negotiations that have continued in fits and starts for months. But with a resolution far from clear, and despite the Capitol Hill pushback, the tariffs were set to go into effect at midnight. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady released a statement that said the tariffs “are hitting the wrong target.” “When it comes to unfairly traded steel and aluminum, Mexico, Canada, and Europe are not the problem—China is. This action puts American workers and families at risk, whose jobs depend on fairly traded products from these important trading partners. And it hurts our efforts to create good-paying US jobs by selling more ‘Made in America’ products to customers in these countries,” the Texas Republican’s statement said. The news Thursday reinvigorated discussions about whether Congress would intervene, a point that had been put to rest months ago when the Trump administration announced it would impose new steel and aluminum tariffs across the board only to turn around and issue a wide list of exemptions to allies – which Republicans applauded – while it negotiated. Still, congressional options are limited. Over the last several decades, Congress has outsourced key trading decisions to the executive branch, and taking back that power would require a serious, united front from GOP leaders in a midterm election year. “I call on the administration to continue the exemptions and negotiations with these important national security partners to find a solution and address the damage caused to American exporters. And the administration will need to come to Capitol Hill to provide answers about the indiscriminate harm these tariffs are causing our local businesses,” Brady said. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, put it simply: “This is a big mistake.” “These tariffs will raise prices and destroy manufacturing jobs, especially auto jobs, which are one-third of all Tennessee manufacturing jobs. I have urged President Trump to focus on reciprocity – do for our country what our country does for you – instead of imposing tariffs, which are basically higher taxes on American consumers,” the Tennessee Republican said. Bad news that @POTUS has decided to impose taxes on American consumers buying steel and aluminum from our closest allies--Canada, the EU, and Mexico (with whom we run a trade surplus on steel). In addition to higher prices, these tariffs invite retaliation. — Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) May 31, 2018<doc-sep>(CNN) — President Donald Trump’s decision to follow through on steel and aluminum tariffs against some of the United States’ closest allies puts a series of vulnerable Republicans at considerable risk, leading some of those candidates to caution the President against following through with the trade talk. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters that a 25% tariff on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union will take effect on Friday. Mexico announced in a statement Thursday it would retaliate against the US by imposing “equivalent measures” on products such as “flat steel, lamps, pork and numerous produce items until the US eliminates the imposed tariffs.” Some Republicans are worried. Party operatives told CNN Thursday that they are fretting the ramifications of more trade talk, worried that those countries could respond by targeting key US exports, many of which come from districts that could decide the balance of the House in November. “Trade is an area where President Trump’s thinking and policy differs profoundly from most other Republicans,” said longtime Republican operative Michael Steel. “I think there are real worries that a trade war could undercut the strong impact tax reform has had on jobs and the economy, so you’ll see Republicans across the country make it very, very clear that they support expanded American trade and the jobs that come with it - particularly in states and Congressional Districts that would be hardest hit.” Here’s what two Republicans in those districts are saying: Rep. David Valadao , who represents the agricultural heart of California: “Agriculture drives the American economy and is the backbone of the Central Valley’s economy,” Valadao said in response to Thursday’s news. “Proposed tariffs seriously jeopardize our farmers’ access to export markets, which account for roughly twenty percent of their production.” (In an interview with CNN earlier this week, Valadao said farmers “would rather have no change than any change” and that Trump pushes “a little harder than what some people are comfortable with.”) Jim Hagedorn is of two Republicans running to represent Minnesota’s 1st Congressional district, home to Martin County, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed “Bacon Capitol of the USA.” He told CNN on Thursday, “I trust that President Trump and his trade negotiators understand the critical correlation between expanding global markets for US businesses, especially farmers agri-businesses, and a strong economy for those of us who reside in rural America.” Although tough talk on trade animated Trump’s 2016 campaign, it has also been one area where Republicans, especially those with heavily agricultural states or districts, have broken with him. “This is dumb,” Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, an outspoken opponent to Trump’s trade talk, bluntly said on Thursday. “We’ve been down this road before—blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression.” Those fears are both policy and politically focused, too. Republicans have maintained a dominance in rural America for years, but some top Republicans worry that making moves that hurt farmers and growers could have disastrous political implications for Republicans. As CNN analyst Ron Brownstein wrote earlier this year, Trump’s trade rhetoric “threatens to light a bonfire directly beneath the Republican Party’s last firewall against potentially significant losses in the 2018 midterm elections.”<doc-sep>Washington (AFP) - Top congressional Republicans on Thursday attacked US President Donald Trump's announced tariffs on steel from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, warning that punitive measures should be targeting China instead of America's allies. "I disagree with this decision," House Speaker Paul Ryan, the most influential Republican in Congress, said in a statement. "Today's action targets America's allies when we should be working with them to address the unfair trading practices of countries like China," he added, saying he intends to work with the president on "better options" to help US workers and consumers. "These tariffs are hitting the wrong target," added House Ways and Means Committee chairman Kevin Brady, saying Europe, Mexico and Canada "are not the problem -- China is." As the announced tariffs prompted threats of retaliation, and an immediate riposte from Mexico, several lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party urged a continuation of the exemptions for such major partners, instead of taking actions that risk a trade war. While trade inequities exist between Washington and Europe, the far bigger beef is with Beijing, according to Senator Marco Rubio. "Instead of opening up another front in trade disputes, we should be teaming up with Europe to confront China," Rubio said, in comments similar to those of several Democrats. The Trump administration has been working on finalizing some version of its trade sanctions on China announced in March that included restrictions on Chinese investment, export controls and 25 percent tariffs on as much as $50 billion in Chinese tech goods. Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch described the tariffs as "a tax hike on Americans" that will have damaging consequences for consumers, manufacturers and workers alike. "In light of the mounting evidence that these tariffs will harm Americans, I will continue to push the administration to change course," he said in a statement. Story continues Fellow Republican Senator Ben Sasse, an occasional Trump critic, offered a less delicate assessment. "This is dumb," he said. "You don't treat allies the same way you treat opponents," he added, warning that blanket protectionism was one of the triggers of America's Great Depression. Related Video: U.S. Announces New International Tariffs Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.<doc-sep>Sen. Ben Sasse Ben SasseBiden to meet with Putin next month This week: Senate set for chaotic sprint before break Increase DARPA's funding — and then make sure its projects reach the battlefield MORE (R-Neb.) on Thursday blasted President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE after his administration announced it would impose steep tariffs on the European Union, Canada and Mexico, calling the move "dumb." "This is dumb," Sasse said. "Europe, Canada, and Mexico are not China, and you don't treat allies the same way you treat opponents. We've been down this road before — blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression. "'Make America Great Again' shouldn't mean 'Make America 1929 again.'" ADVERTISEMENT Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Wilbur Louis RossCommerce Department unit gathered intel on employees, census critics: report Former Trump officials find tough job market On The Money: Retail sales drop in latest sign of weakening economy | Fast-food workers strike for minimum wage | US officials raise concerns over Mexico's handling of energy permits MORE announced that the U.S. would levy steel and aluminum tariffs on the EU, Canada and Mexico — a move that puts an end to the temporary exemptions the three trading allies received after Trump made the initial tariffs announcement in March. Trump is using a U.S. law called Section 232 that allows tariffs to be imposed for national security purposes. Thursday's decision will lead to tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. “We look forward to continued negotiations with Canada and Mexico on one hand and with the European Commission on the other hand as there are other issues we need to get resolved,” Ross said Thursday. The trading partners are expected to quickly respond. Mexico said it would implement new duties on various U.S. products, such as flat steels, lamps, pork legs and shoulders, sausages, and food preparations. The EU has promised to institute tariffs of about $3.3 billion on products like bourbon, jeans and motorcycles. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers have criticized the move. Like Sasse, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would have "damaging consequences" for Americans. "Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are a tax hike on Americans," he said in a statement.<doc-sep>
The Trump administration on Thursday announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union for steel and aluminum imports. The White House cited national security as the primary reason for the tariffs. Republicans and Trump allies broke from the administration, calling the tariffs "dumb" and a threat to the economy. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's decision announced on Thursday to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union for steel and aluminum has reignited tremendous frustration from his Republican allies on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, breaking from longtime free-trade orthodoxy on the right. The tariffs will amount to 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum that previously did not apply to certain trading partners. The White House justified the tariffs in a statement that current steel and aluminum imports "threaten to impair national security" and "are driven in large part by the worldwide glut from overproduction by other countries." The tariffs announcement has already begun to have adverse effects on markets, with trading partners saying retaliations are in order and signaling a large-scale trade war on the horizon. Republicans say tariffs are 'dumb' and hurt economic gains But the decision to include Mexico and Canada increased the level of anger in Washington, especially among Republicans. "This is dumb," Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said. "Europe, Canada, and Mexico are not China, and you don’t treat allies the same way you treat opponents. We’ve been down this road before — blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression. ‘Make America Great Again’ shouldn’t mean ‘Make America 1929 Again.'" House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said the tariffs "are hitting the wrong target" that "puts American workers and families at risk, whose jobs depend on fairly traded products from these important trading partners. And it hurts our efforts to create good-paying U.S. jobs by selling more ‘Made in America’ products to customers in these countries." US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Sen. Orrin Hatch, a reliable ally for Trump, said the tariffs amounted to "a tax hike on Americans and will have damaging consequences for consumers, manufacturers and workers." "We should build on our success in overhauling the nation's tax code with complementary trade policies that, rather than favoring one narrow industry, make all sectors of the US economy more competitive," Hatch added. Even House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed the decision as counterproductive. "I disagree with this decision. Instead of addressing the real problems in the international trade of these products, today’s action targets America’s allies when we should be working with them to address the unfair trading practices of countries like China," Ryan said in a statement. "There are better ways to help American workers and consumers. I intend to keep working with the president on those better options." Heritage Foundation economist Tori Whiting told Business Insider that the move by the Trump administration represented a "tremendous misstep" that would harm American companies. "Sixteen percent of our steel imports come from Canada, our closest neighbor. Roughly 60% of our aluminum imports come from Canada, our closest neighbor," Whiting said. "And that’s not only going to reduce supply of those products for manufacturers here in America that use them in their production, but it’s also going to result in the prices for those products increasing even more domestically — not just for those companies that buy imports but also for companies that buy domestically." "I think that anytime you are imposing tariffs on your friends, it’s a poor move, especially when we want these other countries to help us with China," Whiting added. "And dealing with trade complications between the US and China, we want the EU and Canada and Mexico to help us with that. So I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is the beginning of a trade war. ... But I would say it’s not conducive to maintaining a long-term relationship with those countries and having them help us in other areas of trade." Other tariffs, like one Trump is considering on foreign cars, caused similar levels of concern in Washington. "The announcement that foreign automobiles might be subjected to similar tariffs does not bode well for the economy or for the Trump economic record," wrote American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Benjamin Zycher in a Wednesday op-ed for National Review. "Because there is no obvious limit on the national-security rationale for protectionism, this policy will engender substantial uncertainty in the economy."