Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the US Senate, said late yesterday that he would block the introduction of tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened on European allies over the dispute over Greenland.
"Donald Trump's reckless tariffs have already raised prices and hurt our economy, and now they're only making things worse," Schumer said in a statement.
"It is unbelievable that he wants to increase the stupidity by imposing tariffs on our closest allies for his quixotic mission to take over Greenland," he said. "Senate Democrats will introduce legislation to block these tariffs before they cause further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe."
Trump previously announced that the United States would impose 10 percent tariffs on imports from eight European countries starting February 1 due to the dispute over Greenland.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network that the tariffs would apply to all goods imported into the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. He said they would be increased to 25 percent starting June 1 if a deal is not reached for the United States to buy Greenland.
Opposing Trump's threat
Trump's threat of tariffs has also been met with opposition from other figures in the US Congress.
The two co-chairs of the Senate NATO Watch Group, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Tom Tillis, warned that such rhetoric could benefit opponents like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping "who want to see NATO divided."
"At a time when many Americans are already concerned about the cost of living, these tariffs would increase prices for both families and businesses," they said in a joint statement, urging the administration to "turn off threats and turn on diplomacy," Hina reports.
The US president has repeatedly said that Washington wants to take control of Greenland, which European NATO partners strongly oppose.
Greenland is largely autonomous and part of the territory of Denmark, a NATO member.
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