{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-peters-presses-us-trade-representative-on-trump-administrations-harmful-tariff-policies-upcoming-trade-negotiations", "VIDEO: Peters Presses U.S. Trade Representative on Trump Administration\u2019s Harmful Tariff Policies, Upcoming Trade Negotiations", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Trump Administration's chaotic tariff policies and the impacts on Michigan workers and manufacturers. Peters specifically questioned Greer on the Administration's tariffs on Canada, Michigan\u2019s largest trading partner.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m absolutely focused on addressing the threat of fentanyl...any amount of fentanyl crossing the border is too high. I think we all agree on that. But in reality, very little of the fentanyl entering the U.S. is actually coming from Canada. So, it is unclear why the Administration has taken such an aggressive action against one of our greatest allies, friends, and trade partners who has certainly demonstrated a willingness to work on a cooperative basis on border security, something I do regularly with our Canadian counterparts,\u201d said Peters. \u201cSo how can the Administration justify continuing the tariffs... since their main consequences are actually increasing prices for Americans and threatening American businesses?\u201d\n\nTo watch the full video of Senator Peters\u2019 questioning, click HERE.\n\nDuring his questioning, Peters also called on Greer to provide clarity on the Administration\u2019s objectives during the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and pressed Greer on how the Administration\u2019s tariffs on Mexico and Canada could complicate a potential renegotiation of the USMCA.\n\n\u201cMr. Greer, as you are undoubtedly aware, as part of the USMCA trade agreement, the United States, Mexico, and Canada agreed to review and potentially renegotiate the terms of the agreement beginning in July 2026,\u201d said Peters. \u201cAre you concerned that the Administration\u2019s unprecedented usage of certain emergency powers, specifically the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada will make it less likely that those countries will be willing to make changes to the trade agreement that are advantageous to our domestic industries and workforce?\u201d\n\nPeters has repeatedly spoken out against the Trump Administration\u2019s chaotic tariff policy. In September, Peters cosponsored the Small Business RELIEF Act to exempt small businesses in Michigan and across the country from President Trump\u2019s global baseline reciprocal tariffs and provide refunds to the small businesses that were forced to pay them. Peters also took to the Senate floor in April to oppose the President\u2019s so-called \u201creciprocal tariffs,\u201d calling them a \u201cnational sales tax\u201d on hardworking Americans. Earlier this year, Peters also sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding that he immediately work with the President to reverse the tariffs. Peters visited Walker Tool & Die in Grand Rapids in May to discuss the impact of President Trump\u2019s tariffs and hear directly from manufacturers and workers in the region about how Michigan companies are navigating the current tariff policies.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-peters-presses-us-trade-representative-on-trump-administrations-harmful-tariff-policies-upcoming-trade-negotiations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8193519897758961, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}