Farmer and member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chuck Grassley says he warned President Donald Trump about the retaliation if tariffs were imposed on Chinese goods.

Trump authorized tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Grassley says the tariffs that China enacted in return will impact U.S. farmers, and he was part of a group of about 12 that went to the White House in February to warn of what may happen, “When a country retaliates, they usually retaliate first of all against agricultural products, and the concern that we have for our country that produces about a third more of the food than we consume domestically, then of course for prosperity in agriculture it’s very important that we’re able to export freely. Free trade benefits agriculture maybe more than it does other segments of the economy. Because in agriculture we have a positive trade balance with all other countries on the exports that we have on agricultural products. So, I expressed that then, that still holds true today. I don’t want to discourage a president that thinks he can get a better deal for us under some of our trade agreements to try to do it. But I just want President Trump to know that it’s a very dangerous area to go and you better proceed there with caution. And quite frankly I’m very nervous about it.”

In a written statement, Grassley said he will address issues through the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy. He’ll also address the issues as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley wrote, “…If the federal government takes action on trade that directly results in economic hardship for certain Americans, it has a responsibility to help those Americans and mitigate the damage it caused. ” China’s tariffs include U.S. commodities like soybeans and pork.