[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S831-S832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Tariffs

  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk to 
you about President Trump's tariffs. The media is in full meltdown. 
They are in a full meltdown mode after President Trump imposed duties 
and retaliatory tariffs this week on countries that have basically been 
ripping the United States of America off, and they have been doing it 
for decades.
  Apparently, globalists and Democrats are just fine with other 
countries imposing tariffs on the United States, but when it comes to 
President Trump trying to equalize it up, establish a level playing 
field for domestic producers, well, that is a bridge too far.
  No one has been paying attention to President Trump. If they have 
been paying attention to President Trump, they should not remotely be 
surprised. He campaigned on this platform three times and has been 
crystal clear on his intentions. Now he is following through on his 
campaign promises. But in the corporate media--it seems to still be 
confused about all these tariffs. So let me spell it out.
  President Trump's view on tariffs is as both a negotiating tool to 
get other countries to do a few things that we asked them to do and a 
way to boost American manufacturing and put American workers and 
businesses first, not last. President Trump has his work cut out for 
him after a disastrous 4 years for our small businesses and our 
corporations under the Biden administration.
  The Biden administration made it clear to our friends and foes alike 
that globalists--the globalist agenda would take precedence over the 
safety and well-being of the American people. It is mind-boggling. 
Thankfully, those days are over.
  The American people gave President Donald J. Trump a clear mandate to 
restore our country's superpower status and put all Americans first, 
all businesses first, everybody that does something in this country, 
and that starts, No. 1, with securing our borders.
  Like I said many times, if you don't have a border, you don't have a 
country. And we have really struggled in the last four years. That is 
changing. That is why the master negotiator in chief, President Donald 
Trump, threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada in 
just the last couple of weeks.
  Over the last 4 years, the Mexican Government basically turned a 
blind eye while caravans of illegal aliens overran our borders, coming 
from Mexico, coming from Central America, all over the world, just 
overrunning our country. Thousands of women and children were 
trafficked, raped along the way. Drug cartels made an absolute 
fortune--absolute fortune--not just with drugs, by the way, but from 
payments of these illegals coming all the way through either Central 
America or South America to the United States--with a big basically 
tariff of their own, charging these people to come to the United 
States.
  Lawlessness had become the status quo under President Biden. Nobody 
cared. The Democrats in this room--they didn't care. They didn't care 
what was going on. Let's just let them all come in. Let's let the drugs 
come in. We lose 300 people pretty much every few days to illegal drugs 
in this country with overdoses, but let's not worry about that. Let's 
just worry about controlling our country the way they wanted to. Well, 
it has been a disaster.
  Mexico showed zero signs of willingness to negotiate when President 
Trump took office. When he did take office, on January 20, they woke up 
real quick. President Trump correctly understands that Mexico's economy 
is heavily dependent on the United States of America and the citizens 
of this country. In fact, more than 80 percent of Mexico's exports come 
to the United States--80 percent come here--and American citizens buy 
those products that are made in Mexico. Mexico's economy would almost 
instantly--instantly--feel the effects of a 25-percent tariff, leaving 
Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, no choice--no choice--but to 
come to the negotiating table under the master negotiator, Donald 
Trump. So that is why he uses his tariffs--to get his point across--
because people across the world take us for granted.
  As a result, within hours--hours--of President Trump's announcement 
of the tariffs, Mexico caved. They saw real quick. Obviously, they are 
not stupid. They agreed to help the United States secure the border and 
crack down on the cartels and the illegal drugs coming in almost 
immediately. We could have done the same thing with the past 
administration, but it just shows you they couldn't have cared less 
what happened at our border.
  Our neighbor to the north also caved to President Trump after a 25-
percent tariff was threatened on Canada. Not only are illicit drugs, 
like fentanyl, coming into our country from Mexico, but there was also 
about a 2,000-percent increase in drugs that came across the border in 
2023 and 2024 from Canada--a 2,000-percent increase. In the last fiscal 
year alone, enough fentanyl was seized at the northern border to kill 
9.8 million Americans.
  To me, that would be a very serious problem, but do you think the 
Democrats cared? No. There was no action at all by the Biden 
administration on Canada and no action on Mexico. But thanks to 
President Trump's leadership, our North American neighbors to the north 
and south are making changes now daily that will protect American 
citizens from deadly drugs, criminals, and human traffickers.
  The No. 1 job of the President of the United States is to protect the 
people in this country first, and that is what President Trump is 
doing.
  In addition to using tariffs as a negotiating tool, President Trump 
also views tariffs as a way to right the wrongs of past ineffective 
trade deals. That is why, this week, he is imposing a 25-percent tariff 
on all steel and aluminum imports, including those of Canada and 
Mexico.
  Contrary to what the media is telling you, this isn't unprecedented. 
It is not

[[Page S832]]

unusual. In fact, President Trump has helped shine a light on the fact 
that U.S. exporters face higher tariffs more than two-thirds of the 
time. We pay more tariffs than anybody. For example, among our major 
trading partners, China applies higher tariffs on 85 percent of U.S. 
products, and 90 percent on U.S. products from India.
  Just think about that. We are paying tariffs on things coming into 
this country, but when we send things out, we get the heck tariffed out 
of us from other countries. It is not fair trade.
  These export imbalances don't just impact bottom lines; they also 
discourage domestic production. We have got to produce more in this 
country, and we have got to build more things in this country. That is 
what President Trump is trying to do. If we don't cut back on spending 
and start producing more in this country, this will not be the United 
States of America much longer because we will be bankrupt, and we will 
be reporting to somebody like China, which is buying our Treasury bills 
right and left--or they were.
  One report conducted by the Department of Commerce in the first Trump 
administration found that excess production and capacity, particularly 
in China, have been major factors in the decline of domestic aluminum 
production. Basically, we are getting overwhelmed by aluminum from 
China that is not near as good as what we make in this country.
  President Trump built one of the strongest economies in modern 
history in his first term--in modern history--but the Democrats failed 
to know that. They wanted to change it, and did they ever. They almost 
destroyed our economy. Jobs and wages were up when President Trump was 
in, and inflation was down. Americans had more money in their pockets. 
Thanks to President Trump's strategic tariffs, along with the 2017 Tax 
Cuts and Jobs Act, companies were reshoring businesses back in the 
United States, right and left. They were coming back because they could 
make a profit.
  That is what it is all about when you have a corporation--you have 
got to make a profit. President Trump was able to, because of tariffs, 
make more money for manufacturing in this country than going out of 
this country. You had companies like Ford canceling plans to build in 
Mexico--back in President Trump's first term--and, instead, opening one 
in Michigan. This turned out to be extremely important when COVID hit, 
and we were forced to rely on goods that were manufactured right here 
in the United States. We also found out pretty quick, just in drugs 
alone, that we make very few drugs in the United States. Where are they 
made? They are made in India and China. They have got to come back 
here. We have to be self-sustaining. Whether it is our healthcare 
technologies, agricultural products, or steel and aluminum, there is no 
reason for us to depend on other countries.
  We are the No. 1 country in this world--we have been and will be in 
the future--in manufacturing and production. America has some of the 
best and brightest manufacturers and the best and brightest producers, 
farmers, and businesses. We take second to none. And from a national 
security perspective, it is dangerous to be reliant on other countries, 
which may not have the best interests of the United States' in mind. 
You can't blame them. They are looking out for themselves first. Well, 
we need to do the same thing.
  That is not to mention the fact that the United States produces the 
cleanest steel in the world. You would think the Democrats and the 
climate cult would at least be happy about that. Think about that.
  You know, President Trump just put tariffs on steel and aluminum. A 
lot of the steel and aluminum come in, and because of how they make it, 
it is some of the dirtiest steel in the world. We make the cleanest. 
Why in the world would we want to import something that is going to be 
detrimental to our country alone with this environment?
  The tariffs being imposed this week are an important step in 
President Trump's plan to restore fairness to trade, to boost domestic 
manufacturing, and to put consumers and producers first. It is about 
time.
  Three weeks into his Presidency, President Trump is keeping his 
promises. President Trump's strategic tariffs will strengthen and 
revitalize our Nation's economy, stop the flow of illicit drugs and 
illegal immigration, and make sure our trade deals are fair to both 
taxpayers and American manufacturers--America first. President Trump is 
utilizing every tool at his disposal, as we speak, including tariffs, 
to usher in the golden age of the American economy. We have to make 
that change. If we don't, we will not survive as the No. 1 country in 
the world. We will not regain that status, and we will be losing our 
national security.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Curtis). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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