Kentucky Republicans usually loyal to Trump warn him on tariffs against Mexico

WASHINGTON -- Kentucky Republicans have been among President Donald Trump’s biggest boosters. But they’re rattled by Trump’s talk of imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico — warning that it could hurt the auto industry, one of the state’s most important employers.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Kentucky, whose Lexington-area district includes Toyota’s first wholly-owned American vehicle plant, said Thursday he told the White House that he opposes the tariffs. Toyota Motor Corp. warned its U.S. dealers earlier this week that the tariffs on Mexican imports could increase auto-parts costs by more than $1 billion, according to a letter obtained by Reuters.

“This new proposal is not good for Toyota,” said Barr. He said he told administration officials that increasing tariffs would not only disrupt the supply chain for auto makers, but threaten the viability of the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trump’s revised trade pact with the U.S.’s two trading partners.

Barr said he argued that Trump’s efforts to prod Mexico to do more to stem the flow of migrants crossing into the United States deflects attention from congressional Democrats — who Barr said have opposed Trump’s efforts to secure the Southern border, chiefly by opposing his bid to build a wall.

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