SPRINGFIELD, MA— Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration and European Union announced details of a trade framework:
“More broken promises, more higher prices for the people. President Trump has spent the last 7 months chasing a reckless tariff strategy that has violated our laws and global trade agreements, spooked markets, and led to the largest jump in wholesale inflation we’ve seen in three years.
“The framework announced today, rather than a lawful, negotiated deal that includes Congress, is yet another weak attempt by the President to walk back a trade war he knows he is losing and is harming the American people and the global economy. The vague commitments and dubious legality of this framework are the signature markings of the Trump shakedown. Brazenly, the President is trading away our putative national security interests before his own studies on critical sectors even conclude. He’s not just breaking the law but is so badly abusing his national security authority that he is eroding all trust in those powers.
“Maintaining a strong transatlantic alliance that supports NATO, defends Ukraine, and grows our economies is essential. But bending to this unlawful trade war threatens the global trading system, our credibility, the rule of law, and the values we claim to defend.”
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