When a Republican House member asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer how he "is working to provide greater clarity around tariff and trade policy so small businesses have the confidence they need to plan, and invest and expand," he replied that avoiding imports guarantees avoiding tariffs.
Former senior trade officials clashed over the Trump administration’s escalating tariff actions, debating whether rapid‑fire proclamations, shifting authorities and overlapping investigations are creating needed leverage or leaving companies struggling to manage supply-chain uncertainty.
Despite the failure to extend the moratorium on duties on electronic transmissions at the World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in late March, countries likely won’t impose duties on electronic transmissions, digital trade experts told us.
A former career economics researcher in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and a former deputy director of the National Economic Council in the first Trump term agree that two recently announced Section 301 investigations are likely aimed at replicating previously imposed reciprocal tariff rates, whether those were 10%, 15% or 20%.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told an audience at a conservative think tank that it's unfortunate that the European Parliament imposed conditions for lowering tariffs on U.S. goods.
A proclamation issued by President Donald Trump April 2 creates a new "de minimis" exemption from Section 232 metals tariffs for some metal derivatives that contain less than 15% of Section 232 metal content by weight. The proclamation was issued alongside an executive order setting Section 232 tariffs on brand-name pharmaceuticals at 100%, though with exceptions for companies that onshore production.
President Donald Trump signed a series of executive actions Apr. 2 to set Section 232 tariffs on pharmaceutical products and charge a flat 25% rate for steel, aluminum and copper derivative products. The pharmaceutical tariffs will be set at 100% for patented drugs from companies without "most favored nation" drug pricing deals, though that rate may be reduced to 20% for companies that reshore their production to the U.S.
The annual National Trade Estimate, which enumerates hundreds of tariff and non-tariff barriers to U.S. goods and services exports, asserted it would try to "quantitatively assess the potential effect of removing certain foreign trade barriers to particular U.S. exports," but the estimate largely steers clear of estimating the value of lost export sales.
The numerous conditions that the European Parliament put on a bill to lower EU tariffs on U.S. goods and to offer preferential access to some American agricultural products intrigued former trade negotiators, though they had conflicting opinions on how much the U.S. would adjust its approach as a result.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., told an audience of libertarians that he argued in a closed-door meeting with other House Ways and Means Democrats that they should campaign on prices, and connect affordability to President Donald Trump's tariffs.