Ohio Republican U.S. Seantor Rob Portman is reacting to President Donald Trump's decision to move forward with plans to increase tariffs on Chinese imports.
Portman visited the Ohio State Fair to mingle with hundreds of farmers from around the state.
He said one topic of conversation was the trade war between the U.S. and China, which has resulted in a steep drop in soy exports from Ohio farms.
Portman said farmers were split on President Donald Trump's proposal to expand tariffs.
"So I think farmers agree that China has been a problem for a long time…one of them said 'it took a long time for us to get here, it's going to take us a long time to get out of that,’ and we're going to have to figure out other markets and other strategies."
Portman said this highlights the urgency for the Trump administration to strike a deal with China.
