U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin called President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China “bad news” for consumers, manufacturers and farmers, arguing “everyone is going to pay more.”
The Madison Dem made the comments yesterday after visiting the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy to discuss the Wisconsin Opioid Overdose Response Center and criticize Trump’s federal funding freeze. She secured $2 billion for the center, which seeks to combat the opioid crisis in Wisconsin, focusing on fentanyl in particular.
Baldwin said she doesn’t oppose tariffs, but believes they should be targeted and tailored to specific policy goals. Trump plans to implement a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on imports from China. Baldwin said the tariffs will likely end up hurting Wisconsin farmers.
The tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports were delayed for a month after Trump reached agreements with their governments yesterday. The tariffs on Chinese imports are set to take effect today.
“I remember the last round of Trump tariffs and the billions of dollars in lost exports our agricultural community experienced because of it,” Baldwin said. “And especially in Wisconsin, where our leading agricultural industry is dairy, our dairy farmers have struggled so much, they’ve faced so many headwinds over so many years. Having what will likely be retaliatory tariffs facing them will mean lost export markets, and it will mean greater costs in terms of their inputs.”
Baldwin noted she hadn’t reviewed Trump’s agreement with Mexico to delay tariffs on Mexican imports, which was announced during her visit.
U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, R-De Pere, voiced his support for Trump’s tariffs. Wied said he trusts Trump’s negotiating tactics and believes the move will “ultimately save lives and strengthen our economy.”
“We made a promise to secure our borders, and that includes stopping the deadly fentanyl smuggled in by cartels, which is killing Americans at an unconscionable rate,” Wied said. “If Canada and Mexico don’t want these tariffs, they will work with us to put an end to this crisis.”
Wied said “trade should serve the interests of the United States first and foremost.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, blasted Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a post on X for banning American companies from contracts with the province, telling him Wisconsin’s maple syrup “kicks the sh*t out of yours.”
“Not to mention our cheese, butter, milk, sausage, cranberries, corn, potatoes, carrots, bovine genetics, mink pelts, and real football. That is just Wisconsin. Get your mind right or Kick Rocks, Tubby,” Van Orden wrote.
Also during yesterday’s presser, Baldwin condemned tech billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” being given access to the Department of Treasury’s payment system.
“It’s like the biggest data hack ever in the world,” she said.
Baldwin added: “I don’t know what kind of, you know, what this transition is going to lead to, but it is looking more like a coup than a transition right now.”
