State leaders are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s plan to pay for the border wall with a 20% tax on Mexican imports.
Republican Senator John Cornyn said he’s worried about the impact on oil imports. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who led Trump’s presidential Texas campaign, also expressed his opposition to the tax proposal. The Republican said the cost would just be passed onto the American consumer but added he does not think the tariff will happen.
U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke sounded more alarm bells in Austin Friday.
The El Paso Democrat says building a wall and putting trade tariffs on Mexico will jeopardize six million jobs in the U.S. and nearly 500,000 of those jobs are located in Texas.
“We will in no uncertain terms find ourselves in another great depression if we continue down this path,” said Rep. O’Rourke.
The White House Press Secretary announced Thursday the Trump Administration was looking into imposing a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico to pay for a border wall.
“He says he wants to build a wall then that’s the federal government, that’s their responsibility and if they think that’s the best way to do it, I support it,” said State Sen. Charles Perry.
The Lubbock Republican said he thinks Trump will “solicit advice” from officials in Texas and other border states “before he jumps.” Perry said, “So I think you’ll see him back off a little bit, who knows.”
Most of the U.S.-Mexico border lines Texas and much of that stretch runs along private property and through state and national parks.
Governor Greg Abbott has not spoken out about the 20 percent tax proposed by the Trump Administration.
In a written statement, the Governor’s office said Abbott is “pleased with the immediate action president trump has taken to fulfill his promise to secure the border.”
Not only is Mexico Texas’ top trade partner, O’Rourke said the state works closely with its neighbors to the south on security, immigration and economic issues.
O’Rourke said, “If we humiliate Mexico with a border wall, with imposing tariffs, we will in future generations find ourselves deeply ashamed of who we were and what we did.”
U.S. Rep. O’Rourke also announced that he is “very close to making a positive decision to run” for Ted Cruz’s seat in the U.S. Senate in 2018.