President Trump said Monday that the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico will officially go into effect and that there’s nothing that can be done to avoid them.
“The tariffs, they’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow,” Trump said, adding that there’s “no room left for Mexico or Canada” to make a deal before midnight.
The tariffs had been set for early February but Trump delayed them by a month as he sought a deal with both countries to address a perceived trade imbalance and shut off the flow of drugs into the U.S.
Leaders from Mexico and Canada have made overtures to pacify Trump, but it doesn’t appear to be enough to avoid a trade war.
The president also announced that reciprocal tariffs on every country that levies import taxes on U.S. goods will go into place on April 2.
ALSO TUESDAY…
Trump will give his first address to Congress since returning to office, with the clock ticking toward a government shutdown in 11 days if Republicans don’t pass a funding measure.
The likeliest solution at this point appears to be a temporary continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government through September, which would effectively keep spending flat for the current fiscal year.
Trump endorsed that idea last week.
A CR doesn’t address Trump’s full agenda of tax and spending cuts, but it would keep the lights on in Washington as Republicans search for a consensus.
The GOP majority in the Senate is effectively waiting on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to make a move after the president endorsed his plan to try to pass one “big, beautiful bill.”
Senate Republicans are agitating for a fight, believing they’re better equipped than the House to unite around a way forward.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports:
“Senate Republican committee chairs delivered a blunt message to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) last week that they want the Senate to assert itself and not let the White House and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) dictate to them. They said the Senate should stand firm, not just on the budget bill that will be used to move President Trump’s agenda, but also on preventing a shutdown and not accepting a yearlong government funding resolution that would trigger cuts to defense spending.”
