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Perdue and Ross say there’s retaliation risk

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue told members of the Senate Commerce Committee that he hopes there won’t be retaliation from other countries because of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but, “we can’t say that for certain.”

Perdue says there is a lot of concern, “Agriculture and agriculture commodity products are always at the tip of the spear.”

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told the panel there are many “lively discussions” at the White House and elsewhere about the possible effects of President Trump’s tariffs, “The problem is, trying to model what will parties do. We’ll be hearing soon enough as the thing evolves.”

Ross says the U.S. will have to figure out how to mitigate the effects of any retaliation on the economy, including U.S. agriculture. Ross and Perdue were among five cabinet members who testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday about President Trump’s infrastructure proposal.