One of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress says the implementation of his trade agenda has been “bumpy.”
“I do appreciate the president’s efforts. He’s trying to end wars. He’s also trying to make it fair again for American trade,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on an episode of “The Tim Dillon Show” released on Saturday. “But at the same time, that’s getting — that is bumpy. It’s bumpy.”
The Georgia Republican said manufacturing companies have told her that while they broadly support Trump’s goals, they’re running into problems obtaining the goods they need from overseas.
“We’re having problems with these tariffs,” Greene said, paraphrasing the companies. “We can’t get supplies from this country, and we can’t get supplies from this country. And there’s — there’s problems.”
In response to Greene’s comments on tariffs, White House spokesman Kush Desai pointed toward a recent downward trend in inflation as well as “trillions in historic investment commitments” as proof that Trump was combating inflation and restoring “American Greatness.”
“As the Administration’s pro-growth tax cuts, deregulation, and unprecedented trade deals continue to kick in, Americans can rest assured that the best is yet to come,” Desai said.
Greene has broadly emphasized that she remains supportive of the president. But her comments about businesses struggling to adapt to Trump’s expansive tariff regime amount to a rare instance of daylight between the president and one of his most vocal supporters.
And trade isn’t the only topic where Greene has had critiques of her party’s agenda. She has also accused her party of having no plan to address a looming healthcare premium shock that will be triggered by the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits at the end of the year.
“Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!” Greene wrote in an October 6 post on X.
The government shut down at the beginning of October in large part because Democrats have insisted that Republicans work with them to address the healthcare issue.
Greene also suggested that the Trump administration’s deportation efforts have had a negative impact on businesses.
“I own a construction company, so I’m gonna speak from very real experience: We have a labor force in America, across many industries, that has been built on illegal labor,” she said. “We have to do something about labor, and that needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them, just like that.”
In response to Greene’s comments on immigration, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson suggested that American citizens can fill roles currently held by illegal immigrants.
“There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws,” Jackson said.
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