WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump now says the tariffs he will announce this week will include imports from all countries, not just the dozen or so nations with the biggest trade imbalances with the U.S.
What You Need To Know
- President Donald Trump said the tariffs expected to be announced this week will now include all countries
- Lawmakers were divided on whether the tariffs would help manufacturing in the Midwest
- Other groups that support the auto tariffs, like the UAW, said the companies that have profited from sending jobs overseas should absorb the costs of the tariffs, rather than passing them on to consumers
Trump promised to unveil a sweeping tariff plan on April 2, which he called “Liberation Day.” These new reciprocal taxes will come alongside the tariffs he has already promised to impose that day on aluminum, steel and automobiles.
Some Ohio Democrats argued the tariffs themselves would not be as harmful as their abrupt enforcement.
“It’s not something you could do at the click of a switch. This is something that will take years of implementation,” said Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio. “And already we’re on that track with the Chips and Science Act. We’re making progress towards those things. So what Trump is doing is causing chaos, confusion, and it’s simply the order of the day of this administration.”
Trump has criticized the CHIPS Act as a handout to attract companies to the U.S. and said the same companies would build manufacturing facilities in the U.S. without government subsidies in order to avoid tariffs.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, echoed Trump’s argument in saying the proposed tariffs, such as the 25% tax on imported cars, would help Midwest manufacturing.
“The reality is the tariffs will hit primarily very expensive automobiles. And in effect that’s a tax on the wealthy,” Moreno said in a FOX News interview. “When it comes to the cars that middle class Americans buy, those cars will be made right here in America and the costs will go down because we’re going to get rid of all these electric vehicle mandates.”
Moreno, who used to own car dealerships that sold foreign cars, has been a vocal proponent of tariffs. He said legislation he is introducing would help some buyers by making interest on auto loans for U.S.-made cars tax deductible.
Other groups that support the auto tariffs, like the United Auto Workers union, said the companies that have profited from sending jobs overseas should absorb the costs of the tariffs, rather than passing them on to consumers.
Still, the tariffs are expected to raise the average car price by $6,000, according to Cox Automotive, affecting both lower-end vehicles and luxury cars.
