Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner screamed at U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday over President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to impose tariffs on Australia.
Australia is one of numerous countries that Trump has already subjected to a 10% baseline tariff, Reuters reported. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Trump’s 2025 trade agenda, Warner questioned Greer about the decision to target Australia, eventually raising his voice as Greer tried to explain.
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“Australia is one of our strongest allies. We have the AUKUS [trilateral security partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia] relationship, which is key to their national security, it’s key to our industrial base, so we can continue to build subs — terribly important,” Warner said. “Interesting thing with Australia is we have a free trade agreement with Australia. We don’t have tariffs, we even have, one of the few industrial countries, we have a trade surplus with Australia.”
“So Ambassador Greer, can you explain to me how it helps America’s national security or our trading balance when we have — and I loved your fancy Greek formula which was basically bad math on steroids — a formula, how, with a trade surplus, with this strong relationship, Australia got hit with a 10% tariff as well?” he asked.
Greer noted that the 10% tariff on Australia is the lowest possible rate under Trump’s tariffs. Warner interrupted him as he alleged that the nation bans American beef and pork.
“Excuse me … We already have a free trade agreement,” the senator said. “We have a trade surplus, so getting the least bad, why did they get whacked in the first place?”
“We’re addressing the $1.2 trillion dollar deficit, the largest in human history that President [Joe] Biden left us with,” Greer said. “We should be running up the score in Australia. They ban our beef and they ban our pork.”
Warner talked over Greer and began to shout at him.
“Ambassador Greer, answer the question on Australia. We have a trade surplus with Australia,” Warner said. “We have a free trade agreement. They are an incredibly important national security partner. Why were they whacked with a tariff?”
Greer repeated his accusation that Australia bans American beef and pork.
Australia hasn’t imported American beef since 2005, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
During his Wednesday announcement about the tariffs he was imposing, Trump particularly honed in on this issue.
“Australia bans – and they’re wonderful people and wonderful everything – but they ban American beef, yet we imported $3 billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone,” the president said. “They won’t take any of our beef. They don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers. And you know what? I don’t blame them, but we’re doing the same thing right now starting about midnight tonight, I would say.”
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