Trump's former vice president calls abuse of tariffs 'misstep'

Washington, April 13 (IANS) Former US Vice President Mike Pence has voiced concern over the White House's imposing tariffs on foreign countries and specific industries, calling it a "misstep."

Pence, who served as vice president during US President Donald Trump's first term, said in a recent interview with The Hill earlier this week that the Trump administration's aggressive use of tariffs "poses a potential risk" for Republicans in the midterm elections, even as he walked back from some most severe tariffs on allies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pence is yet another prominent Republican figure to criticise the tariff policy. Earlier, Trump's tariff policy had already drawn criticism from several Republican members of Congress.

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News in an interview that tariffs are essentially a tax on consumers and he does not support significantly raising taxes on American consumers.

On his podcast, Cruz said if the government could use this policy as leverage to quickly get other countries to lower their tariffs, it would be a win. However, if implemented for the long term, it could drive up inflation, hurt job growth, and even potentially lead to a recession in the US economy.

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul also criticised Trump in a recent Senate speech, opposing the justification of tariffs under the pretext of a "national emergency" caused by trade deficits.

Paul emphasised that Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over tariffs and foreign trade regulation.

--IANS

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