On February 6 and 7, Kevin Serafino, Director, Federal Government Relations & Public Policy, attended meetings with legislators and staff to advocate for swift action to remove the tariffs that are damaging American businesses across all industries. The Capitol Hill advocacy event, hosted by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, drew attention to the Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, as well as the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China.
As part of the advocacy event, Tariffs Hurt the Heartland also held a press conference announcing the release of a new study on the economic impact of tariffs, “Estimated Impacts of Tariffs on the U.S. Economy and Workers.”
According to the new study, if President Trump follows through with planned tariff increases in March, the U.S. economy could lose approximately 934,000 jobs and the GDP could drop by one-third of a percentage point. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Tom Carper (D-DE) spoke at the press conference and highlighted the impact on businesses in their states.
This advocacy event touches on a much broader set of challenges facing United States trade policy. Several other U.S. government actions on international trade also complicate the political context of these tariffs. The recently announced U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), notably does not remove the steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada, nor does it address key issues related to automobile tariffs – issues that may need to be resolved before Congress approves the USMCA. Critics of the tariffs note that tariffs on allies also inhibit the U.S.’s ability to marshal an international coalition to address trade issues with China. As the Trump Administration plans future trade talks with China, another critical deadline looms – the Section 301 tariff rate on “List 3” imports are set to increase from 10 percent to 25 percent on March 2, 2019, further emphasizing the need for immediate congressional action to abate the damaging tariffs.
Please contact Kevin Serafino, Director, Federal Government Relations & Public Policy, at kserafino@thehcpa.org for any additional comments or questions.
On February 6 and 7, Kevin Serafino, Director, Federal Government Relations & Public Policy, attended meetings with legislators and staff to advocate for swift action to remove the tariffs that are damaging American businesses across all industries. The Capitol Hill advocacy event, hosted by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, drew attention to the Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, as well as the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China.
As part of the advocacy event, Tariffs Hurt the Heartland also held a press conference announcing the release of a new study on the economic impact of tariffs, “Estimated Impacts of Tariffs on the U.S. Economy and Workers.”
According to the new study, if President Trump follows through with planned tariff increases in March, the U.S. economy could lose approximately 934,000 jobs and the GDP could drop by one-third of a percentage point. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Tom Carper (D-DE) spoke at the press conference and highlighted the impact on businesses in their states.
This advocacy event touches on a much broader set of challenges facing United States trade policy. Several other U.S. government actions on international trade also complicate the political context of these tariffs. The recently announced U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), notably does not remove the steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada, nor does it address key issues related to automobile tariffs – issues that may need to be resolved before Congress approves the USMCA. Critics of the tariffs note that tariffs on allies also inhibit the U.S.’s ability to marshal an international coalition to address trade issues with China. As the Trump Administration plans future trade talks with China, another critical deadline looms – the Section 301 tariff rate on “List 3” imports are set to increase from 10 percent to 25 percent on March 2, 2019, further emphasizing the need for immediate congressional action to abate the damaging tariffs.
Please contact Kevin Serafino, Director, Federal Government Relations & Public Policy, at kserafino@thehcpa.org for any additional comments or questions.