Lawmakers react to Trump tariff announcements
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - As lawmakers across the country respond with mixed reactions to Pres. Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday of sweeping tariffs – to include imposing a 10% tariff on all trading partners as well as higher rates for specific countries – Alaskans are also reacting.
A spokesperson for Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, responded to a request for comment by saying via email that the tariffs are intended to push other countries to bring their tariff levels down.
“[M]ore in line with our own,” the spokesperson wrote, “leading to fairer and more reciprocal trading relationships and strengthening America’s manufacturing base.
“Going forward, Senator Sullivan will closely monitor the impacts of these tariffs on Alaskans and Americans,” the spokesperson added, “to ensure that they are achieving their intended goals without being inflationary.”
The office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also shared a prepared statement with Alaska’s News Source on Wednesday evening.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty about what these tariffs will mean, and how long they’ll be imposed,” Murkowski said. “But what is certain in the immediate future is that Alaskans will be paying higher prices overall. I want to work with the president on policies that will lower cost of living for all Americans, but I’m afraid this isn’t it.”
Additionally, a social media post from Murkowski explained part of her reasoning for voting to end an emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that she said was used to justify recent tariffs on Canada.
“While not all Canadian trade practices are fair,” she wrote. “I’m keenly aware of the negative impacts in store for Alaskan families and businesses should tariffs drive up the costs of essential goods. In Alaska, this relationship matters.”
Murkowski added that more than 1,500 miles of Alaska’s border are shared with Canada, meaning shops, schools and churches are shared, too, adding that the state’s best-known road is the ALCAN — the Alaska-Canada Highway.
She also wrote that she believes there is a better way to secure America’s borders and address drug trafficking “than by starting a trade war.”
“We are friends, neighbors, partners, and allies when it comes to our economies, our mutual defense, our cultures, and, yes, our trade,” she continued. “Like any relationship, there are certainly areas for improvement. I support the President’s efforts to block the flow of fentanyl in our country, but we should remember the old saying that the U.S. and Canada are ‘neighbors by geography, and friends by choice.‘”
The Senate resolution that passed in a 51-48 vote Wednesday night was a rare rebuke of the president shortly after he unveiled the sweeping plans for international trade taxes. Murkowski was one of four Republicans who voted with all the Democrats in support of the measure.
Alaska’s News Source did not receive a response from the office of Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, regarding a request for comment on the tariff announcements made in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Author’s note: This story has been updated with additional comments from the Congressional delegation.
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