"They’re policies which simply don’t make sense."
That’s what U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said about the Trump Administration’s tariffs.
"It's just the worst kind of economic self-destruction," stated Schiff during a visit to Ventura County.
The tariffs are a subject that’s been making headlines for weeks. But, it has special relevance at the Port of Hueneme, which imports five billion bananas, and more than 400,000 vehicles a year. The tariff impacts could be significant, but no one is sure of the extent of it yet.
Schiff toured the port by boat, his first time at the Port of Hueneme. He learned about its role in West Coast commerce and how it’s playing a leading role in moving towards a greener shipping industry. It was a fitting backdrop for the Senator to talk to reporters about tariffs.
"I am really disturbed about the destructive nature of these tariffs," said Schiff. "The on-again, off-again inconsistency of them. None of this makes any economic sense, and of course, it's been driving down our economy. None of it is doing anything to improve the cost of goods, which just continues to rise. In fact, the tariffs are pushing prices higher, so it's enormously counterproductive."
"I hope they'll find some way to bring this to an end," continued Schiff. "It sounds like the President is looking for some face-saving way to bring this to an end."
Schiff feels the tariff policies have created unnecessary chaos.
"You can't have a policy where they're on one day, and off the next...they're doubled the following Tuesday, and it just makes it impossible for businesses large and small to plan. And what's more, we're needlessly alienating our allies."
"Canada, for example, is not only taking American products off the shelves, but they're telling American businesses, large and small, don't bother sending us your stuff anymore. Beyond the tariffs, they're beginning to boycott American goods. And, they're among our closest trading partners," said Schiff."
Does the Senator think there’s anything Congress can do about the tariff situation?
"There is momentum in the Senate. We don't see much of it in the House at this point, but in the Senate, there is bipartisan legislation which would essentially nullify tariffs after a certain time, unless Congress affirms them. It's a way of reclaiming our authority over tariff policy."
He said he sees in the Senate a recognition that the tariffs are doing nothing but driving the economy into a ditch.
Schiff said he’s also very concerned about the Trump Administration’s environmental policies, especially the President’s goal of opening up more areas to oil drilling.
"Two days ago, I went out to the Channel Islands. And, you go past these oil derricks on the way there, and you see them dotting the seascape. And, you recognize that some of the oil spills we've had in this very region are the reason we have an environmental movement. It began here. The creation of the EPA, the water rules, because of these disastrous spills, these ruptures of pipelines, was devastating to the economy here. We don't want that to happen again."
Schiff feels that under the Trump Administration, the nation’s environmental efforts are moving backward.
"Without a doubt. They're moving in exactly the wrong direction. In fact, while the administration claims to want to further energy independence, what they really mean by that is that they want to advance the oil industry. They seem to be just willfully trying to destroy the planet. It's hard to explain or justify it otherwise. Yes, they want to repeal anything Joe Biden did. We have that kind of a petty, petulant President. But, it goes well beyond that, to wanting to destroy any kind of renewable energy action, anything that would move us away from reliance on fossil fuels that are killing the planet."
The Senator said, aside from policies to open up federal waters and land to more oil and gas development, there’s a lot of concern about the potential for federal funding cuts for many environmental programs.
