COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) went one-on-one with NBC 4’s Ohio Statehouse reporter Natalie Fahmy in a five-minute interview to answer questions about tariffs, the Department of Education, immigration and more. 

Tariffs: “If they tariff us, we’re going to tariff them.” 

President Donald Trump continues to impose or threaten tariffs. The latest round has been delayed until the start of April, but still Moreno said in general, they are effective. 

Moreno said there are “a couple of conversations here” and said the first is that tariffs against Canada and Mexico are a safety tactic.   

“Because Canada and Mexico have enabled that fentanyl that kills Americans to the tune of 100,000 a year to come into our country and their bad behavior must change,” Moreno said. “So, if they want to get rid of those tariffs now, they have to stop the flow of fentanyl, they have to shut down these labs. Mexico’s got to get rid of these drug cartels. If they do that, the tariffs go away.” 

Moreno added that the way we are treated by other countries is going to be reciprocated. 

“Canada, Mexico, India, the European Union, you name it, if they tariff us, we’re going to tariff them,” Moreno said. “If they want to eliminate all tariff barriers, including non-tariff barriers, then we’re going to have fair and reciprocal trade, which is what President Trump wants.” 

Moreno said tariffs also play into bringing business to the U.S. and defended Trump’s comments about repealing the CHIPS Act with that argument. 

Repealing the CHIPS Act: “We’re going to make them do business here.” 

In a joint address on Tuesday night, Trump called the CHIPS Act, which helped secure Ohio’s intel deal, “terrible,” and called on Congress to repeal it. 

When asked if he would vote to repeal it, if it came down to that, Moreno did not definitively say yes or no. Instead, he said Trump has a different tactic. 

“After the CHIPs Act passed, Intel got no money from the federal government until the last two weeks of the Biden administration, and it came with so many onerous rules and regulations that almost made it unworkable for Intel,” Moreno said. “What President Trump is saying is, ‘Look, with tariffs, these companies will want to come here, build here, and we don’t need to give one cent of taxpayer dollars.’ Much better approach.” 

Moreno said this is about fixing tax and regulatory policies while saving taxpayer money. When asked if that meant he would vote to repeal the CHIPS Act, he still did not give a clear answer. 

“As I laid out that we have there’s different approaches and how we could get there and the approach that President Trump is taking is much, much better, and that’s why it didn’t work for Biden. I mean, he didn’t give Intel a cent until the very last two weeks of his administration because the rules and regulations that came with the money were onerous,” Moreno said. And why do we want to take taxpayer dollars and give it to corporations to beg them to do business here? We’re going to make them do business here with tariffs. That’s a much more effective strategy.” 

Moreno’s stance is different from Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio). Husted championed the CHIPS Act as lieutenant governor, and in a statement, said he is hopeful it will remain in place. 

“The CHIPS Act was one of the only major bipartisan pieces of legislation to pass in the last Congress, and I am confident bipartisan support remains,” Husted wrote. “For the economic and national security of America, we need to make chips in the USA—I believe this is part of an America First agenda. Making chips in places like Ohio will make sure that China doesn’t win.” 

Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk: “God bless him.” 

Elon Musk is head of a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk has been permitted to cabinet meetings and is often with Trump in the oval office. 

Moreno said Musk is playing a key role in government accountability. 

“What Elon Musk is doing, God bless him,” Moreno said. “For him to take his volunteer time to do what he’s doing, long overdue, to root out waste, fraud and abuse, finally, from our federal bureaucracy, make certain that when you and I pay money, that our taxpayer dollars are being used wisely.” 

Moreno does not think that Musk’s role usurps the power of Congress; in fact, Moreno said Musk is accountable to Congress. 

“Because when Congress appropriates money to the to the executive branch, we want to make sure that money is being used properly,” Moreno said. “But unfortunately, the way it was being run, there was no accountability. So, Elon is Elon is bringing that discipline. DOGE is doing amazing work of rooting out incredibly obscene amounts of waste, fraud and abuse, saving about $4 billion a day for the taxpayers. God bless him. He’s a generational talent and I can’t even imagine that somebody in his position is willing to do this. 

Dismantling the Department of Education: “Our illiteracy rate is at an all-time high.” 

Trump is looking to dismantle the Department of Education and while some warn of negative ripple effects to K-12 students, Moreno believes the move would usher in the opposite response. 

“The consequences are going to be that we have dramatically better educational outcomes since the department was created in 1979,” Moreno said. “Look at where we are in our educational system. We’re way behind in reading. We’re way behind in math. Our illiteracy rate is at an all-time high. You have you have many kids that can’t even pass basic elementary tests.” 

Moreno said low test scores and students who cannot read at grade-level is a result of “the federal government and overreach.” Moreno said the states need more control. 

“We need to move that responsibility and that money to states where they can do a much better job of getting parents and local communities back in charge of their kids’ education. And that’s absolutely an imperative,” Moreno said. “As you know, Natalie, cause you covered my campaign. It’s something that I campaigned on, and I firmly believe is essential to improve educational outcomes in this country.” 

Local Courts and Federal Immigration Laws: “She should be ashamed of herself.” 

Moreno penned a letter to a Columbus judge at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, after the court opted to prohibit ICE arrests on its grounds. 

“It’s disgusting to see a judge who’s supposed to be somebody who makes certain that justice is carried out properly and the laws are followed to say that she won’t follow federal law,” Moreno said. “I mean, that is an absolute abdication of her responsibility. She should be ashamed of herself. And I’m expecting a response to my letter in short order.” 

Moreno said “nobody is above the law” and called the judge “rogue.” 

“We’ve made it very clear: any human being who violates federal law will be prosecuted in this country. We’re not going to put up with any nonsense and we’re not going to put up with anybody impeding federal law enforcement actions,” Moreno said.