Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., condemned President Trump’s threat Thursday of additional tariffs on $100 billion of Chinese products, saying that the tariffs are the "dumbest way" to punish the country for trade abuses.

“Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he’s even half-serious, this is nuts,” Sasse said in a statement Thursday. “China is guilty of many things, but the President has no actual plan to win right now. He’s threatening to light American agriculture on fire. Let’s absolutely take on Chinese bad behavior, but with a plan that punishes them instead of us. This is the dumbest way to do this.”



Sasse torches new Trump China tariffs pic.twitter.com/yzpAvZWdnm — Erica Werner (@ericawerner) April 6, 2018



Earlier this week, the Trump administration proposed imposing tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports that would apply to items including vehicles, information technology, healthcare, and aerospace. The move prompted a retaliatory response from China, in which it announced its intent to impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of U.S. goods including soybeans, aircraft, beef, and cars, among other items.

Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. trade representative to evaluate whether to seek the additional tariffs and which products the tariffs would target.

“Rather than remedy its misconduct, China has chosen to harm our farmers and manufacturers. In light of China’s unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR to consider whether $100 billion of additional tariffs would be appropriate under section 301 and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs,” Trump said in a statement shared by the White House's office of the press secretary. “I have also instructed the Secretary of Agriculture, with the support of other members of my Cabinet, to use his broad authority to implement a plan to protect our farmers and agricultural interests.”

Trump added that the U.S. is open to holding conversations to promote “free, fair and reciprocal trade” to safeguard the technology and intellectual property of Americans.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office released a product list that would be hit by the initial tariff proposal impacting $50 billion in Chinese imports. The list is subject to change, though, because it must go through a public comment period, and the U.S. Trade Representative will hold a public hearing on the matter.