Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said Tuesday that President-elect Trump's tariffs “will definitely bring Mexico to the table” to resolve immigration and fentanyl issues.
“If potentially fixing the border meant imposing a 25% tariff, would you support that?” NewsNation's Blake Berman asked Cuellar in an interview on “The Hill.” asked.
“Well, let me say this: Laredo is the largest port. It handles 40 percent of all trade between the United States and Mexico. We know this is a way to negotiate and gain influence. . We know that Mexico will come to the table to negotiate.''
“But no one wants to impose a 25% tariff on them, and the Mexicans are threatening to do the same. And we don't want to be involved in that,” he continued. “But I think this will definitely bring Mexico to the table and help us resolve issues around immigration and fentanyl.”
President Trump announced Monday that he will issue an executive order imposing new tariffs on products from China, Canada and Mexico at the start of his next term.
In a post on Truth Social, the president-elect said he would impose a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican products, and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese products. Trump said the tariffs are aimed at putting pressure on countries to step up efforts to secure their borders and combat fentanyl exports to the United States.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to simply resolve this long-smoldering issue. We hereby demand that they use this power, and that they Until they do, it's time for them to pay a very high price!'' President Trump said on Truth Social.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Tuesday criticized President Trump's tariff threat, saying he believes “the president-elect is not truly facing real consequences.”
“I think he's headed for a real horror show that will deliver more than he promised,” Blumenthal added in an appearance on CNN. “For example, preserving Medicare and Medicaid while simultaneously reducing government spending.”
The Hill has reached out to the Mexican government for comment.
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