CPA Conference Gets USTR Appearance
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, a pro-Trump trade group, noted in its newsletter that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer squeezed in an appearance at their annual conference between returning from talks with China in Switzerland and flying to Asia for more negotiations.
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The newsletter said: "Greer said CPA was 'on the front lines' and gave [Chairman Zach] Mottl and others in the room credit 'for such a relatively small group of people like this being able to drive trade policy.'"
The media office at USTR didn't comment. Greer's appearance at CPA was not publicized by the agency.
The newsletter said Mottl said: "At the heart of the strategy are revenue tariffs and Section 232 investigations that protect critical industries that are vital to our economic and national security. America’s economic future relies on building capacity at home to serve our home market, rather than chasing export opportunities. That’s tapping a dry hole."
A number of speakers said government grants and loans would be needed to reestablish manufacturing in strategic sectors like pharmaceuticals and LNG shipbuilding.
Barry Zekelman, owner of a steel pipe and tube manufacturer called Zekelman Industries, argued that quotas are more effective than 25% tariffs; so did the head of a trade group for beef cattle producers.
Zekelman said, "Tariffs eventually get manipulated and watered down. We need to look at product categories and put a hard number on imports, but the Administration does not want quotas so much because they want revenue," according to the newsletter.