Moreno defends ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ tariffs, and GOP strategy

Q&A at City Club of Cleveland first in Ohio since he took office in January

CLEVELAND — U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno on Friday defended the Republican-backed “Big Beautiful Bill,” his party’s signature economic legislation, while fielding questions about tariffs, tax policy, health care, and the 2026 Senate landscape during a City Club of Cleveland forum.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno with NBC News reporter Henry Gomez in this screenshot from Q&A in front of the City Club of Cleveland on Friday, Aug. 20, 2025.

Moreno, who took office in January, argued the legislation’s combination of corporate and individual tax cuts, along with higher tariffs on imported goods, would create jobs and reduce dependence on China.

“The bill was designed to reset the American economy on a growth track,” Moreno said. “We’ve asked Americans to take on a shared responsibility to bring manufacturing back home.”