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U.S. businesses and trade associations quickly warned against the effect the new tariffs could have on the economy and consumers.

The president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donahue, outlined his concerns about the administration's trade proposals in a letter sent to the Chamber's Board of Directors and obtained by ABC News.

“The current approach — and the obvious retaliation that will occur in response — poses a serious risk of raising barriers and reducing Americans’ access to vital global markets,\" Donohue wrote. \"Our businesses will lose customers, workers will lose jobs, and American consumers will lose family income through higher taxes and higher prices.”

The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents American automakers like Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company slammed the tariffs saying they “undermine the global competitiveness of the US auto industry and invites retaliation from our trading partners.”

And the Automotive Alliance, representing foreign automakers like BMW and Volkswagen in addition to domestic automakers, said the tariffs will cost jobs.

Still, despite the backlash, Ross defended the new tariffs as a way to protect national security.

“Without a strong economy you can’t have strong national security,” Ross said.

Ross leaves Friday for China to continue trade negotiations.

ABC News’ Alex Mallin, Arlette Saenz, Erin Dooley and Serena Marshall contributed to this report.

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