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Tariffs would not ‘pay off our deficit,’ as Trump’s commerce secretary said

Poynter · Louis Jacobson · last updated

One of the Trump administration’s biggest tariff boosters, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, recently said tariffs not only will energize the U.S. industrial sector but also help the government’s finances.

During a July 20 interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Lutnick told host Margaret Brennan that the U.S. is collecting close to $30 billion a month in tariffs. “You got to remember — this is going to pay off our deficit. This is going to make America stronger,” he said.

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