WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee have strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to add a 25% tariff to Indian imports, bringing the total charge to 50%. The senators said in a series of statements that the action damages American consumers and could possibly hurt the strategic alliance between the two countries.
The Democrats on the committee wrote on X, “Instead of punishing China or other countries that buy more Russian oil, Trump is targeting India with tariffs, hurting Americans and damaging the US-India relationship in the process.”
The critique goes against what the administration has said about why the tariffs are necessary: to punish India for buying Russian oil while the war in Ukraine is going on. Democrats on the committee have asked this topic several times, saying that if the purpose was really to squeeze Russia, the US would go after other countries who buy even more Russian energy, such China. “One of their posts said, “It’s almost like it’s not about Ukraine at all.”
They also said that giving military aid to Ukraine to help them negotiate a better deal would be a better way to end the war than forcing them to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “maximalist” terms of surrender.
The Indian government thinks that the additional tariffs, which went into force on Wednesday, will affect up to $48.2 billion in exports. Officials have said that the taxes could make sending goods to the U.S. too expensive to be profitable, which could mean job losses and slower economic growth in India. Textiles, gems and jewelry, and fisheries are some of the most important industries that will be hurt the most.
For decades, both parties have made the U.S.-India relationship a top foreign policy goal, with the goal of developing a strategic cooperation to counteract China’s rise. The Democrats are worried that Trump’s one-sided trade moves are putting this long-term strategic relationship at risk for short-term political benefit. This might cause a “strategic shock” that has bad effects on both countries for a long time.