With a new round of tariffs against China set to go into effect on Sunday, President Donald Trump says one good part of the trade dispute will mean much more money flowing into the U.S. Treasury, as a variety of American importers and companies could see a much larger tariff bill in the months ahead if this trade fight continues.
"We have billions and billions coming in," President Trump said on Monday to reporters when asked about tariffs that he has placed on goods imported from China.
"The United States will have collected over $100 billion in tariffs," the President declared; the Treasury Department is forecasting the receipt of $81 billion in import duties for the 2019 fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
For a comparison - 2018 brought in $41.3 billion in tariffs.
While outside groups have different projections, they all point in the same direction - that some U.S. importers and businesses will have to pay much more in taxes because of the President's use of tariffs against China and other nations.
Because the tariffs are paid by U.S. companies - not by China as the President has repeatedly insisted - it's presented Republican lawmakers and conservative watchdog groups with a policy quandry.
"Tariffs are a tax on the American people," said ex-Rep. David McIntosh (R-IN) on NBC's Meet the Press, who now runs the group Club For Growth.
Even President Trump has referred in recent days to his tariffs on China as "taxes."
While there is certainly evidence bubbling up among farmers and some Republicans opposed to the tariffs, other GOP officials say the President is right to press this fight against Beijing.
"Do I like tariffs as a policy on any given day? No," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
"Either we do something now, or our economy is going to be gutted," Rubio said, arguing the U.S-China trade relationship must be rebalanced, a case that President Trump has made repeatedly.
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