ATLANTA — As the impacts of President Trump’s tariff continue to play out, lawmakers here in Georgia are worried they could hit Georgia farmers.
However, one grower told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot that he thinks the tariffs don’t go far enough.
State Sen. Russ Goodman is one of a number of farmers and growers here in the Georgia legislature.
He told Elliot on Thursday that he not only supports the new tariffs but wishes they went even further.
“I think there could be some short-term pain with that,” Goodman said.
Goodman is the chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee, but he got that job because he’s also a grower.
On his farm between Valdosta and Waycross, he grows blueberries- the crop, he says, is spotty this year.
Goodman said he fully supports President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on goods from other countries, but he thinks they didn’t go far enough - particularly on Mexico.
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“As a produce farmer in Georgia, if what I’m hearing is correct, I’m disappointed we’re not going to have any tariffs on Mexican produce,” Goodman said.
Trump announced wide-ranging reciprocal tariffs in addition to a 25% tariff on cars coming into the US.
Since the Port of Brunswick is the busiest roll-on/roll-off automobile port in the US, there are worries that any slowdown could affect jobs there.
Elliot asked Gov. Brian Kemp about any concerns he may have about the tariffs’ impact on the Georgia economy. He said he needs to see more details.
“I still want to see kind of what the devil is in the details and see how this shakes out. I still think there’s a lot of unknowns, and we’re down to the last two days of the legislative season, so that’s been my focus,” Kemp said.
Elliot also spoke with Georgia’s Democratic US Sen. Jon Ossoff who said the tariffs are nothing short of reckless.
“I think this has been quite recklessly done, and I’m seriously concerned about the potential economic impact on Georgia,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff also expressed worries about the impact on the auto industry and auto import industry.
“I’m hearing from Georgia farmers, Georgia manufacturers and think what’s lacking is any clear sense from the administration of what exactly they are trying to achieve,” Ossoff said.
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