Rep. Kaptur (D-OH): Tailored, Targeted Tariffs Could Be Good For U.S.
Politicians, the media, and the markets have all responded negatively to President Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminium.
But Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has a different perspective. The trade war concerns won’t materialize “if you have a good agreement,” she told Cheddar. “We need trade parity, we need reciprocity in trade.”
She pointed out that China churns out 2.3 billion metric tonnes of steel every year when the world only uses 1.5 billion.
“You’ve got this enormous overhang on the global market...so America ends up being the dump market and our workers get put out of work.”
However, China’s steel manufacturing muscle doesn’t necessarily impact the U.S. market. In 2017, the U.S. got most of its steel from Canada and Mexico, according to the [Commerce Department](https://www.trade.gov/steel/countries/pdfs/imports-us.pdf).
On Wednesday, the White House announced certain markets, such as Canada and Mexico, may be exempt from the proposed 25 percent tax on steel imports and 10 percent tariffs on aluminium. The administration is expected to make the official announcement on them later this week.
Almost four dozen Venezuelan workers who had temporary protected status have been put on leave by Disney after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip them of legal protections.
American businesses that rely on Chinese goods are reacting with muted relief after the U.S. and China agreed to pause their exorbitant tariffs on each other’s products for 90 days. Many companies delayed or canceled orders after President Donald Trump last month put a 145% tariff on items made in China. Importers still face relatively high tariffs, however, as well as uncertainty over what will happen in the coming weeks and months. The temporary truce was announced as retailers and their suppliers are looking to finalize their plans and orders for the holiday shopping season. They’re concerned a mad scramble to get goods onto ships will lead to bottlenecks and increased shipping costs.
The Trump administration announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom Thursday in grandiose terms, but with only limited details about what it achieves.
