During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) spoke about President Trump's tariffs.
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00:00Before we leave the floor, I just want to thank Leader Schumer for all the help, and
00:04we're going to be focused today on something that really matters to people, and I thank him.
00:10Mr. President, we're beginning, as you can tell, to discuss the resolution to repeal
00:16the global tariff emergency, and as is becoming routine under this president,
00:23Americans were greeted with grim economic news this morning.
00:27After three years of strong growth and rising jobs numbers, the U.S. economy actually shrank
00:34in the first three months of 2025.
00:38The trade deficit hit a record $162 billion.
00:42The U.S. added only half as many jobs this month as expected.
00:48A major culprit is unquestionably Donald Trump and his senseless global tariffs.
00:55If this continues to be our tariff policy, every major economist and forecaster is, unfortunately,
01:02predicting recession, job losses, and the misery that was all over our news feeds this morning.
01:11The United States Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness.
01:17The Congress has the power to set tariffs and regulate global trade, and members can vote today.
01:25Not do something in a month or some other time, but members can vote today to put an end to Trump's global tariffs
01:33and the economic disaster they're creating.
01:36Earlier this month, Donald Trump slapped new 10% taxes on everything Americans buy from overseas,
01:47125% tariffs on everything from China,
01:51and he promises even higher taxes in July on products from nearly five dozen countries.
01:58That's just the latest plan.
02:00I think we all understand goldfish have memories that last longer than Donald Trump's tariff promises.
02:09Before these global tariffs, there was the on-again, off-again trade war with China and Mexico,
02:14tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars,
02:17and ad hoc exemptions for things like electronics and fertilizer.
02:22When the public outcry was so great, Donald Trump had to backtrack.
02:27Donald Trump imposed his global tariffs by declaring an economic emergency under a law called IEPA.
02:35No president has ever imposed tariffs under this law.
02:39In my view, Trump's actions clearly go beyond what the law allows,
02:43which is why Senators Shaheen, Cain, and I have offered a bill to make it clear
02:48that this law does not allow the president to issue tariffs.
02:52Members can vote today to repeal the so-called emergency Trump declared
02:58and end the harmful global tariffs.
03:03Now, I'm going to talk for just a few minutes with respect to taking stock of the economic carnage
03:11Donald Trump's trade chaos has already inflicted on our country.
03:15We're going to examine the administration's own claims about what their plan is
03:20and make the case for why every member of this body should vote to assert the powers of Congress
03:28to trade and to end the tariffs.
03:32And they should do it no matter their party or which state they represent.
03:36I already mentioned the shocking economic news this morning.
03:41By every single forecast, by every measure,
03:44Donald Trump's self-defeating tariffs are actively making Americans poorer,
03:50and they're doing it now and for years to come.
03:54Economic growth? Gone.
03:58Inflation? Rising.
04:00Unemployment projections? Up again.
04:02Experts estimate Trump's tariffs will cost average families about $4,000 a year.
04:10Many products from China won't even be available soon,
04:14and that's thanks to the tariffs.
04:17For the products that are still available, prices are going up,
04:20a fact that Donald Trump flails about trying to hide.
04:25When Amazon was rumored to list the impacts of tariffs on prices,
04:30Donald Trump threw a fit, reportedly threatening Jeff Bezos and calling it a hostile act.
04:37God forbid that Americans actually know what the real cost of tariffs is.
04:43Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Republicans are charging head
04:47with plans to go forward with their tax bill,
04:50which features more bailouts for billionaires,
04:54paid for by kicking millions of people off their health insurance
04:57and gutting programs that kids and families rely on to stay safe and healthy.
05:03Donald Trump, meanwhile, puts higher taxes on groceries,
05:07clothes, and cars for working families,
05:10while he puts his extra time into passing tax cuts for the wealthy.
05:15That is his agenda.
05:17My state knows how Donald Trump's tariffs chaos
05:20is already hurting real people.
05:23And we know how it's drying up markets for red, white, and blue products.
05:28About one in five jobs in Oregon depends on trade,
05:31and the trade jobs often pay better.
05:34Speaking with small businesses and workers all over Oregon,
05:38did it just last week.
05:40Every single one warned of damage from tariffs, and soon.
05:44Bob's Red Mill, for example, sells delicious flour and grains
05:51mostly made from wheat and other crops in Oregon.
05:54But some of their ingredients, like coconut or tapioca,
05:58which just aren't grown here, come from outside the country.
06:02The cost of those products goes up because of tariffs.
06:07Worse, foreign markets for Bob's goods are drying up.
06:10That's because other countries put their own tariffs on Bob's flour
06:14and other Oregon ag products in retaliation for Trump's aimless war.
06:19Oregon grass seed growers estimate that about half of their exports,
06:23nearly $200 million in sales, are being canceled
06:25thanks to the global tariffs.
06:28Donald Trump and his advisors claim nothing to worry about.
06:32They say the economists and the pundits are overreacting,
06:37and everything is going according to plan.
06:40Secretary Besant is on cable news so often trying to calm investors
06:47that it's a wonder that he's got any time to do a bit of negotiating.
06:53But as usual, it's not clear at all what the plan is,
06:56what their tariffs are supposed to accomplish,
06:59or when, if ever, American families and workers will see the relief.
07:03Earlier this month, Donald Trump claimed he would have 200 deals completed within three or four weeks.
07:10Then he said, nah, that's physically impossible to have all of the meetings needed to seal the deals.
07:17He should have thought of it, Mr. President, before he started a trade war against the entire world.
07:27Now, he claimed that he was already negotiating with China to lower tariffs and calm trade tensions.
07:33But China and Secretary Besant said the talks have not even started.
07:39This weekend, the Agriculture Secretary said 100 countries had reached out to start trade talks.
07:46At almost the same time, Secretary Besant said there are actually 18 so-called priority counties, countries,
07:54and those talks would take about 90 days.
07:57Mr. President, if nobody in this administration can even agree on what is happening right now,
08:06how can they negotiate smart trade deals with nearly every nation on earth?
08:13Now, anonymous White House aides continue to say that Donald Trump is working to de-escalate his trade war.
08:19But Donald Trump doesn't sound like he's willing to admit he got it wrong.
08:23He told Time magazine that if tariffs are at 20% or even 50% a year from now, that would be, quote, a total victory.
08:32So once again, no one can tell what his administration wants or what the end game is.
08:39I believe it's hard to see how any foreign country right now would make concessions to Donald Trump.
08:45That's because he's proven himself to be both untrustworthy and incapable of sticking to a position on tariffs
08:51for more than a few weeks at a time.
08:54One foreign diplomat was known to have told the press that countries are worried that any deal
09:00they make with the Treasury or Commerce secretaries will be contradicted by Trump.
09:06Other trading partners said they don't want to make a deal now only to have Trump decide
09:10on a unilateral tariff in the future.
09:14Donald Trump has trashed America's credibility.
09:18He hasn't just made it unlikely for his administration to get a good deal for American workers.
09:24My view is he has hurt every future president who wants to strike a good trade deal.
09:31The best way to restore our nation's good name is for Congress to step in and assert, finally,
09:37our constitutional authority over trade.
09:40Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress power, and I quote here,
09:44to regulate commerce with foreign nations and delay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.
09:53In other words, Mr. President, this is our job.
09:58It is not always pretty, but Congress can provide stability and certainty on trade
10:03that lasts beyond a single president's administration.
10:07This body has already signaled bipartisan support for reversing pointless tariffs.
10:14We did that when we passed Senator Cain's bill to end the tariffs on Canada.
10:18Today, the Senate can take another powerful step, a powerful step in the right direction
10:24by voting to repeal the global tariffs on a bipartisan basis.
10:28I would just close by saying, listen to your constituents.
10:35Listen to what you're hearing from home, because what I heard was overwhelmingly Oregonians
10:42and the people I ran into and airports and the like said,
10:45it is time to bring some certainty and predictability back to making these urgently needed trade policies.
10:53I urge this body to vote for jobs and prosperity rather than unending trade conflict
10:59that leaves our country as a loser.
11:02I urge every senator to support this crucial resolution, and I yield the floor.