Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch is voicing strong concerns over the Trump administration’s tariff policies, warning that the measures are negatively impacting the construction industry in his district. However, Lynch said he believes the White House may be beginning to adjust its approach.

In a Sunday appearance on CBS Boston’s “Keller At Large,” Lynch criticized the Trump administration’s broad application of tariffs, particularly their impact on both U.S. allies and smaller nations.

"Tariffs on 140 countries at the same time, treating Canada the same way we treat China was a terrible mistake," Lynch said. "I would have hoped for a balanced scheme. Instead, the president put in very onerous tariffs on some of our European allies, as well as smaller countries that probably couldn't withstand a 35% tariff."

Despite his criticism, Lynch pointed to recent signs of a potential shift in the administration’s strategy.

"With the market going down, with the strength of the dollar receding, I think he's a bit worried Treasury bills are not as desirable," Lynch said. "So he's seeing some fundamental changes there that are not good for even the medium term results that he's seeking."

As a former steelworker, Lynch expressed particular concern about the uncertainty the tariffs have created for developers in his district.

"I come out of the construction industry, so we've got a bunch of projects in my district that are ready to go environmentally, we've worked out the differences, zoning. The community's on board, and yet the developers are afraid to put a shovel in the ground because they don't know what steel is going to cost," he said. "Is it going to cost 25% more than it is right now, especially with the tariffs on Canada, all of our lumber, steel, aluminum, aggregate concrete, all of that? So it's really huge uncertainty that's preventing a lot of these projects from going forward. And we're seeing high unemployment growing in the construction industry."

During the same interview, Lynch also criticized the administration's handling of foreign students engaging in political speech. He referenced the case of a 25-year-old Tufts University graduate student, who was arrested after co-authoring an op-ed critical of Israeli military actions in Gaza.

"She broke no law," Lynch said. "We have 80,000 foreign students in the city of Boston and Cambridge. Those families and families all over Europe can send their kids to the city of Boston because they feel that we're a safe community. We are a center of learning. We are a place of cultural and religious tolerance. And so what happened to [her] flies in the face of all of that. If you start snatching kids off the street who are here legally...and putting them in detention centers, shipping them 1,700 miles to Louisiana, if that's the way you're going to treat kids who come here, you know, our reputation will suffer greatly. And think about, there's over a million foreign students in this country right now going to school. We destroy all of that. Our reputation, our image in the world will decline very, very quickly because of one man."

Lynch also shared his views on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s leadership and her prospects for a second term during the conversation, which can be watched on demand through CBS Boston’s platform.

Originally reported by Jon Keller in CBS News.