Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday “whose throat do I get to choke” if the Trump administration’s tariff plans are unsuccessful.
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The comment from the Republican senator came during a Finance Committee hearing where Greer answered concerns about the dramatic trade policy set to take effect Wednesday at midnight.
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Tillis described his phrase as a concept from management consulting that means someone has to be accountable.
“You can certainly always talk to me,” Greer said in response. “I am at the tip of the spear, certainly.”
“I wish you well,” Tillis later told Greer. “But I am skeptical.”
Trump announced the tariffs plan last week in an event he called “Liberation Day,” saying they were aimed at resolving a longtime trade deficit with partners around the world. Some Republicans have defended the tariffs, levied across dozens of countries, as a way to create leverage. Democrats, economists and other countries have blasted the plan, emphasizing deep and negative effects for U.S. consumers, as well as wider geopolitical consequences. Several economists have said the formula the White House used to develop the tariffs, which were much higher than expected, is flawed and misunderstands some key trade metrics.
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