Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, on Thursday decried the role that Peter Navarro, one of President Donald Trump's economic advisers, has played in deciding policy.
Navarro, a liberal economist, has become the top economic adviser in Trump's White House following the departure of National Economic Council head Gary Cohn, and has emerged as one of the leading proponents for tariffs on aluminum and steel in the administration.
Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Ernst in an interview on Thursday why Navarro, whom he described as "not a trade expert" and "not one of us," is making trade policy in the White House.
"I think you have hit the nail on the head," the senator answered. "We need somebody out there that understands that we operate in a global economy. And we want free and fair trade. We understand that. But just because you're slapping tariffs on steel doesn't mean that there aren't going to be repercussions in other areas."
Ernst added that "we export a lot of our soy beans to China, and we know that China is a bad actor. But there is a delicate balance out there, and we need to have thorough negotiations. We haven't gone through that process."
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