First Friction Emerges Between Trump, House Republicans

They want him to focus on tax reform
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 6, 2016 3:35 AM CST
House Republicans Push Back Against Trump 'Trade War'
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Donald Trump isn't going to have a honeymoon period with House Republicans, if the frosty response to his call for a 35% tariff on companies leaving the US is anything to go by. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was among those pushing back against the policies Trump called for in a series of tweets over the weekend, the AP reports. "I don't want to get into some kind of trade war," McCarthy said, arguing that lowering corporate tax rates would be a much better way to stop companies leaving the country. "We've got to have a level playing field, that companies in America can compete on a level playing field across the world, and right now we do not have one." McCarthy said it was healthy for a president to get involved in saving American jobs—but he believes in the free market, not "picking winners and losers."

House Speaker Paul Ryan also called for policies more in keeping with the traditional GOP position on free trade, reports the New York Times. "We can get at the goal here, which is to keep American businesses American, build things in America, and sell them overseas—that can be properly addressed with comprehensive tax reform," he said. Trump's tariff plan, which is likely to need congressional approval, may have more fans among Democrats. Trump "won in part by campaigning against the Republican establishment on many economic issues," said Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the next Senate minority leader. "If he wants to get something done for working families in this country, he'll have to stand up to them when it comes time to govern, too." (Sarah Palin says policies like Trump's are "one big fail.")

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