In the News

REMEMBER THE TARIFFS? Trade groups have more questions about the forthcoming tariffs for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. In a letter sent today, Jim McGreevy of the Beer Institute, Susan Neely of the American Beverage Association, Bob Pease of the Brewers Association and Robert Budway of the Can Manufacturers Association requested that their industries be excluded from the Trump administration’s forthcoming 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. The trade group leaders asked Ross to clarify “who is the best party to file for exclusion- industries, or industry representatives, such as trade associations” and the timeline for exclusions, among other questions. In addition, the trade groups voiced concern that the tariff could cause spikes in the Midwest Premium Price for aluminum and asked the Commerce Department for clarification on how it plans to ensure that “stockpiled aluminum isn’t subject to the new tariffs.”

Farmers are also not pleased with the tariffs. POLITICO’s Adam Behsudi reported this morning that Farmers for Free Trade, an advocacy group formed by several agriculture industry groups, sponsored a half-million-dollar ad-buy to protest the tariffs. “The advertisement, which starts Wednesday and runs through the month, will air during Fox and Friends, Lou Dobbs and Morning Joe — some of Trump’s favorite shows for distilling the day’s news, said one source familiar with the planning of the campaign,” Behsudi writes. “U.S. farmers hope to make the case that foreign retaliation to Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum and other pending trade restrictions will have a potentially devastating impact on their exports, if China and other trading powers decide to ratchet up tariffs on soybeans, wheat and other farm goods.” Full story.