Chamber of Koch Front Groups Lobby to Block Trump’s Mexico Tariffs, Prevent Border Security
Shane Trejo
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Senate Republicans are pushing back against President Donald Trump after he announced his intention to levy tariffs on Mexico until they start fighting the border crisis that has caused a national emergency.
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The Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the pro-open borders lobbying group bankrolled by the Koch Brothers, are leading the charge against Trump’s tariffs push.
“The trade relationship with Mexico, it benefits Mexico,” AFP President Tim Phillips said during an appearance on CBS News. “And like most good relationships, it benefits us, both sides as well.”
Phillips made it clear that his organization doesn’t just oppose these tariffs, but all tariffs as a matter of public policy. His organization wants the U.S. to return to the pre-Trump status quo when manufacturing was decimated but corporate profits were sky high.
He hopes that Republicans in Congress not only stop the tariffs on Mexico but also bring to an end Trump’s emergency declaration at the U.S. southern border.
“It is difficult, but we are urging more Republicans to step up and do the right thing on this,” Phillips said, before adding that “free trade has been a bedrock principle in the Republican Party for a couple decades now, going back to NAFTA.”
He implied that Americans should surrender their sovereignty for cheaper prices of Chinese slave-made consumer goods at retail giants like Dollar General, Walmart and Target.
“The benefits are enormous to us,” Phillips said. The CBS News anchor mentioned that AFP will not be throwing its tremendous financial resources behind Trump in 2020.
The Chamber of Commerce may take the opposition against Trump’s Mexico tariffs even further than the Koch-funded AFP outfit. They may file a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an attempt to stop the tariffs.
“Imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico is exactly the wrong move,” U.S. Chamber Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said in a statement. “These tariffs will be paid by American families and businesses without doing a thing to solve the very real problems at the border. Instead, Congress and the president need to work together to address the serious problems at the border.”
The Chamber of Commerce released a press release yesterdays commending Democrats in the House for passing the DREAM Act, giving amnesty to illegal aliens.
“We commend the members of the House who voted to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, and we look forward to working with the Senate as it continues to address the issue of immigration reform. It is critical for both parties in both houses of Congress to come together on a path forward on immigration reform legislation,” Bradley said.
As Trump attempts to reverse the status quo on immigration and trade, his greatest opponents may not be the enemies in his rival political party but rather the enemies within.
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