WASHINGTON, D.C. — President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose massive tariffs on some foreign imports are drawing some support from lawmakers of both parties, a sign of the growing political consensus against free trade.

Republicans were the original “free trade party” — a status cemented by President Ronald Reagan when he signed the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement in 1988. Five years later, President Bill Clinton brought Democrats on when he signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993.

During Trump’s first term, the political consensus saw a reversal—moving away from free trade in an effort to protect domestic manufacturing and jobs.

Trump this week pledged to raise tariffs on all Chinese imports by 10%. That’s in addition to existing tariffs—which already reach 100% for certain goods, like electric vehicles.

Some lawmakers, like outgoing Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, have long said such tariffs were necessary to compete with Chinese-made products. The Chinese government has been known to skirt international trade rules by heavily subsidizing certain industries, allowing companies to produce goods at below-market prices.

“If those jobs go to China, the jobs are going to be made with cheap labor, sometimes slave labor, sometimes child labor, but always cheap labor, and they’re going to be made with no environmental protection,” Brown said while visiting a steel plant in Zanesville, Ohio on Oct. 22.

Many Republicans are now joining in that opinion.

“Usually I’m a free market kind of guy, but we know that China’s not playing by the rules,” said Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio. “So if President Trump feels that tariffs on China can put them back where we need them to be, then I’m going to be with that.”

“Tariffs have their place within our country and I think President Trump will hopefully use them in the most effective manner possible. But at the end of the day, more times than not, tariffs can hurt the American consumer more than anyone else,” said Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio. “I’d like to know exactly what tariffs on what country specifically, and what does he plan on using them for.”

Other lawmakers are focusing on boosting domestic manufacturing by making American-made products more competitive.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill to help U.S. companies compete against Chinese goods on the global market.

Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said he supports regulations to punish companies that send workers overseas and reward those who hire American workers.

“That is going to be the direction of this country,” Moreno said. “And that happens through tariffs. It happens through tax incentives, that happens through better regulatory environment, better tax policy.” 

Trump may find little resistance to raising tariffs on Chinese exports that compete with American-made goods, such as electric vehicles, steel and solar panels. But because tariffs can raise prices and eventually cause inflation, his proposals to raise tariffs on other countries, notably Canada and Mexico, will receive more pushback.