WSJ Outs GOP Senator’s Plea for Breaks from Trump’s Tariffs — After She Touted Them
Screenshot via Twitter.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board excoriated Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) this week over her public support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs while revealing her private appeals to the administration for exemptions for companies in her state.
“Talking up tariffs is a way for Republicans to stay on President Trump’s good side, but in practice those tariffs hurt their constituents. Thus the pleas behind closed doors for exemptions. Step right up, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt,” began the editorial board, pulling no punches on Monday evening.
The editorial quoted Britt’s past statements defending Trump’s tariffs, including her jabbing the Supreme Court for overturning them in February.
“What the media won’t tell you is that President Trump’s tariffs work. We are not going to return to the status quo of allowing American jobs and manufacturing to be sidelined in exchange for cheap junk from foreign adversaries,” Britt wrote at the time.
The WSJ went on to report on an email it obtained from her office to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office via the Freedom of Information Act:
What Ms. Britt won’t tell you is that she was privately seeking exemptions 10 months earlier. That’s when her legislative director wrote an email, “Sen. Britt Alabama Trade Priorities,” seeking help for “specific Alabama manufacturers.”
The editorial goes on to list the contents of the email, which include her office asking for exemptions for five Alabama-based companies.
Brett Doyle, an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, replied to Britt’s office and said her request would be passed “to the right office,” the outlet noted.
“The point isn’t that Ms. Britt made bad arguments against these four tariffs. It’s that she made good ones, which show why blunderbuss trade wars are an economic mistake, along with how tariffs deepen the D.C. swamp. Big company CEOs facing tariff harm know how to get a U.S. Senator to plead their case. But who speaks for the little guy being walloped?” added the WSJ editorial board.
Britt’s office defended her to the WSJ, saying she publicly raised the issues in Senate committee hearings that were mentioned in the emails and got Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to agree to look into at least one of them.
The WSJ added:
Ms. Britt’s office told us that U.S. leaders for too long “treated globalization as a costless victory,” while the “erosion of our industrial base” made the country vulnerable. “To support Alabama’s manufacturing growth, Senator Britt will continue to advocate for thoughtful policies with the Trump Administration, both in private deliberations and through public hearings.”
The WSJ concluded by noting that Britt’s “Tariffs for thee, exemptions for me” attitude is nothing new in the GOP, naming Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), ex-Rep. Mark Meadows (R-SC), and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) as other notable examples.
In a statement to Mediaite, Britt’s office defended her advocating for local businesses.
“Senator Britt is always proud to advocate for companies who want to build and invest in Alabama, which is the most pro-jobs state in the U.S., and our hardworking families. She considers advocating for good jobs for hard-working Alabamians to be a cornerstone of her role as U.S. Senator,” according to the statement.
“Senator Britt’s office has frequently engaged with the Trump Administration on behalf of a number of Alabama companies. The emails obtained by the WSJ represent a snapshot in time of one such request. Senator Britt also advocated in public settings for each of the companies – among others – in various public hearings,” it added.
“Since April, the Trump Administration has adjusted its tariff policies, even expressly addressing requests Senator Britt was asking USTR to consider in April of 2025. As she has consistently stated, Senator Britt supports the Administration’s ongoing efforts to rebalance our trade and bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and most importantly, the great state of Alabama. As always, she appreciates the ability to give feedback that helps achieve that goal.”
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