Utica University Professor Explains the Tariffs, Spars with Griffo

Dr. Rick G. Fenner was on WIBX's Keeler in the Morning show on Friday to talk about the Trump tariffs that have shocked markets across the the world this week, and sent the US Stock Market tumbling in lost value in the trillions.

Fenner said tariffs are generally taxes on the middle and lower classes of people, who often live pay check to pay check. He said if the tariff war is not negotiated and ultimately relaxed, it will significant increase the chance of a recession, and economic problems globally.

NYS Senator Joe Griffo, who was in-studio discussing the now late New York State budget, pushed back say that the Trump tariffs are necessary so that the United States brings back manufacturing so our goods are actually made hre. Griffo cited the problem with PPE such as face masks that were no longer made in the United States during the pandemic, were almost impossible to get because most were made and being used in China. He also cited the unfair way the rest of the world, including Mexico and Canada, take advantage of the U.S. and place us at a disadvantage in trade with their tariffs, including tariffs on agricultural goods such as milk and dairy.  Fenner disagreed, stating that a country like Canada needs to in some ways protect its goods from a much larger country like the United States which is why he said during the first Trump term, President Trump negotiated a new agreement on dairy with Canada. He said under that deal, the tariffs Canada is levying against the U.S. don't actually kick in, because there's a threshold that has to be met and the U.S. has never met that mark, thus, we've never been charged those tariffs.

Watch and listen to the heard debate, below.