Trump expected to raise auto tariffs
Print Edition
US President Donald Trump is likely to move ahead with tariffs on imported vehicles, a move that could prompt the European Union to agree a new trade deal, says Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley.
“I think the president’s inclined to do it,” the Republican senator told reporters on Wednesday. “I think Europe (is) very, very concerned about those tariffs ... It may be the instrument that gets Europe to negotiate.”
US Commerce Department recommendations on whether Trump should impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts on national security grounds are due by mid-February. A Commerce Department spokeswoman declined to comment. Grassley, who has had regular talks with Trump and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on trade issues, said he did not like new tariffs but “they are a fact of life when Trump is in the White House.” He said they may have been an “effective tool” in getting China, Canada, Mexico and others to negotiate on trade.
Iowa senator Grassley also wants the EU to agree to include agricultural issues in trade talks, although EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström said last week the 28-country bloc could not negotiate on agriculture.
The White House has pledged not to move forward with imposing tariffs on the EU or Japan as long as it is making constructive progress in bilateral trade talks. Trump has urged the EU to drop its 10 percent tariff on imported vehicles. The US passenger car tariff is 2.5 percent, while it imposes 25 percent tariffs on pickup trucks.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose new auto tariffs.
“Cars is the big one,” Trump said last year.
The US Trade Representative’s office last week published its objectives for EU talks, including seeking comprehensive agriculture access.
The prospect of 25 percent tariffs sent shockwaves through the auto industry, with US and foreign-brand producers lobbying against it.
German automakers met Trump in December to urge him not to impose tariffs.
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