Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, does not support President Donald Trump’s plan to help farmers who have been hurt by his tariffs, the Anchorage Daily News reports.
Murkowski said in an interview with the newspaper that Trump’s plan, which aims to use the Agriculture Department’s Commodity Credit Corp. to help farmers at a cost of $12 billion, is too costly, too slow and simply “a very small Band-Aid for a much broader problem."
The senator noted that one-third of Alaskan seafood is sent to China, one of the targets of Trump’s tariffs, "So you've got folks who are really worried about the here and now."
She added that there "is real truth in the fact that our farming sector has been directly impacted by these tariffs — and significantly impacted. But it's not just the farming sector. It is the manufacturing sector. It is the energy sector. It is the seafood industry.”
"The president hasn't said a word about where that $12 billion comes from," Murkowski said. "That to me is an admission that, look, these tariffs aren't helping you guys."
She acknowledged that Trump has asked his supporters for patience while he negotiates trade agreements with other countries, "But there is only so much patience you can have when your livelihood is on the line."
Murkowski added, "When you lose your farm, you lose your farm. And there's no amount of sloganeering that is going to make you feel good about that."
Despite her opposition to the plan, the senator expressed concern that there isn’t enough time for Congress to intervene.
"So legislatively, there are tools we have at our disposal, my fear is that those may come too late" for businesses that are "on the bubble," she said.
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