There will be "short-term pain and long-term gain" from President Donald Trump's tariff hikes against China, but it is was still important the United States is taking action, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said Monday.
"I look at these things as a military officer," Rep. Wenstrup told Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria." "I look at the big picture. You have China that's been cheating, stealing, they've been embedded in our universities and companies and, at the same time, they're enhancing their military. We've got to do something about this economic imbalance that's taken place, or we're going to have a national security issue on our hands, if we don't already."
Wenstrup added he has been hearing from producers and consumers alike, including farmers who say they will ride with the tariffs for a while, and if they can get a better result for their work, they approve of the effort.
"I think they're still hanging with the president on this, that they see the bigger picture," Wenstrup said. "This is just one of the tools in our toolbox that we have to use if we're going to get a better economic situation moving forward, and if we're going to make sure that we are a secure nation."
Wenstrup said he agreed with comments made by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who urged caution that the tariffs do not erase current U.S. economic growth.
"I think that as the president moves forward, he's understanding the big picture and the long-term gain, and I hope that we end up where we should be and he wants to be," Wenstrup said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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