KENTUCKY — You likely have seen the headlines about the back and forth between the White House and President Donald Trump's administration and their stance on the use of tariffs, saying among other things, it would raise revenue for the U.S. government. Others have argued the revenue would come at a high cost to the American economy overall.

State Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, whose legislative district includes Heaven Hill, Willett, Maker’s Mark and Limestone Branch distilleries, joined "In Focus Kentucky" to share his perspective on Kentucky’s bourbon industry dealing with economic fallout as the trade war escalates with U.S. partners, ranging from Canada and Mexico to China and the European Union. Even some retaliatory tariffs still hanging around from Trump's first administration remain a threat to the bourbon industry.

"I think there's a lot of uncertainty right now in the bourbon industry and all the associated products with it, and it trickles down," Higdon said. "In my hometown of Lebanon, we have a huge independent stave that makes barrels for the bourbon industry. We have a lot of local farmers that produce corn and other grains for the bourbon industry, so there's a lot at stake and lot of people anxiously waiting to see how these tariffs work out."

"I'm going to think positive that it's a phase that we're going through and these will all come to pass. We talked about tariffs during the last administration, and nothing really happened. So it's a interesting time for the bourbon industry, and there's a lot of lot of competition for those spirit dollars." 

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.