Business GOP lawmakers condemn Trump’s tariff decision ahead of NAFTA talks

Republican senators on Wednesday condemned President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on washing machines and solar panels, exposing simmering GOP divisions over international trade that threaten the uneasy alliance between the president and lawmakers of his own party. “I don’t agree with it, I think it’s a bad path to head down,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said of the tariff decisions. “The retaliatory tariff fight is never a good fight and I generally think we need to be more positive about our trade opportunities.”The lawmakers said the tariffs could start a trade war that would damage the U.S. economy and threaten jobs, hurting the American workers Trump says he wants to help. The lawmakers also cautioned the administration to move carefully as it renegotiates the North American Free Trade Agreement — including during talks between U.S., Canadian and Mexican trade officials this week in Montreal. The White House is also considering whether to impose trade restrictions on imports of steel and aluminum, decisions that could have a widespread impact on the U.S. economy.