Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) grilled the White Home’s prime commerce negotiator on the administration’s commerce technique throughout a listening to on Wednesday, asking the official “who’s in charge” as President Trump introduced a pause on tariffs for many nations.
As information broke of Trump’s announcement throughout a Home Methods and Means listening to, Horsford pressed U.S. Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer concerning the latest transfer.
“How long is the pause? How many days? How many weeks?” Horsford requested.
“I understand it’s 90 days, I haven’t spoken to the president –” Greer started to say earlier than Horsford responded.
“So, the trade representative hasn’t spoken to the President of the United States about a global reordering of trade and yet he announced it on a tweet? WTF, who’s in charge?” Horsford mentioned, earlier than arguing, “It appears like your boss simply pulled the rug out from beneath you and paused the tariffs, the taxes on the American folks.”
“There’s no strategy you just found out three seconds ago, sitting here, we saw you,” he mentioned, whereas additionally asking Greer why he hadn’t disclosed plans to pause the tariffs earlier within the testimony if he was conscious beforehand of the president’s eventual announcement.
Greer mentioned the president “is in charge” and that he doesn’t disclose his “conversations with the president.”
“These are real consequences for the American people and small businesses. I had a group of small businesses in my office earlier today talking about the impacts of these tariffs on aluminum and steel,” Horsford mentioned.
“This is amateur hour, and it needs to stop. What does this even mean for your negotiating strategy? How are you in charge of negotiation if the president is tweeting about this from wherever the hell he is?”
Greer responded, “The president was elected, and he runs the trade policy, and I advise him and execute his trade policy.”
Horsford additionally took intention at Republicans’ attendance within the listening to room and accused Trump of blinking on China.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who chairs the Home Methods and Means Committee, pushed again on Horsford’s feedback not lengthy after and mentioned there have been “more Republicans in this chamber than there are Democrats currently in this committee room.”
“I appreciate the president did not blink on China, as was said earlier, and it needs to be correct in the record,” he mentioned. “In fact, he increased China by 125 percent.”
Horsford then requested Smith for “a colloquy,” to which Smith declined.
“We don’t want to talk about the trade policy here in the trade committee? This is our jurisdiction,” Horsford mentioned.
“Your time has expired and I’m more than happy to talk to you –” Smith responded, earlier than Horsford mentioned, “I asked if you would yield.”
“And I said no,” Smith mentioned.
“Because you don’t want to defend the policy or the strategy,” Horsford added earlier than Smith acknowledged one other member to talk.
Horsford could possibly be heard saying off digicam, “Kick me out, what are you going to do?”
