[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 57 (Monday, March 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S1919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Tariffs

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, this week, Donald Trump is preparing to 
take a sledgehammer to the American economy by preparing a tsunami of 
tariffs on all sorts of goods Americans purchase every day--a tsunami 
of tariffs.
  Let's be clear. Donald Trump's tariffs are a tax hike on American 
families. The average costs families will have to pay for groceries, 
gas, everyday goods, et cetera, will go up by thousands--thousands of 
dollars a year out of hard-working people's pockets to pay for these 
tariffs. And Donald Trump has the gall to call his trade war 
``Liberation Day.'' That makes as much sense as calling a layoff notice 
a promotion letter.
  The Trump administration clearly has no strategy or goal behind their 
tariffs. One minute, they say the tariffs will lead to more people 
buying American-made goods, but Peter Navarro said yesterday that 
tariffs will also raise trillions in revenue. This is a total 
contradiction. You can't use tariffs to both raise revenue and bring 
jobs back. The only way you raise that much in revenue is if Americans 
pay that much for goods made abroad, and that means consumers will hurt 
most.
  Donald Trump knows his plan will send costs surging. He said he 
``hopes'' automakers raise their prices--spoken like a true 
billionaire. Donald Trump saying, I hope automakers will raise their 
prices? OK, Mr. and Mrs. Consumer, Mr. and Mrs. Average American 
Family, Donald Trump wants you to pay more while he is giving tax cuts 
to billionaires.
  Senate Republicans--where are they? Always, they just go along with 
whatever Trump wants no matter how idiotic. Senate Republicans should 
be shouting from the rooftops to get the President to reverse course on 
tariffs. People in red States will be especially impacted, from farmers 
to small businesses. Republicans should be swarming the Senate floor 
with statements calling on the President to change his mind. But their 
response has been so feeble, so weak--almost nonexistent--that 
Americans are right to question which side they are really on.
  The worst part is that nobody knows what the tariffs will look like--
perhaps not even Donald Trump. On a slow day, he changes his mind about 
them only once a day. He seems to change his mind about them almost 
every hour.
  This is not what the American people want. Americans and American 
businesses detest the chaos and unpredictability that Trump brings. No 
surprise--more and more Americans now disprove of his handling of the 
economy. Meanwhile, the S&P is on track for its worst quarter compared 
to the rest of the world since the 1980s. Consumer confidence is at its 
worst since Donald Trump's first term. Outlook for the economy is at a 
12-year low. Household debt is on the rise.
  Donald Trump's trade war is playing Russian roulette with the 
American economy, and it will be households, retirees, consumers, and 
average families that pay the price.
  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. WICKER. 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.