President Biden heads to Air Force One after posing with highway patrol officers in Mountain View, California, on May 10.
Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden heads to Air Force One after posing with Highway Patrol troopers in Mountain View, California, on May 10.
Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
The Biden administration is preparing to announce new tariffs on imports of products from China, including electric vehicles, which it considers a policy priority.
The announcement could come as early as next week, a source familiar with the tariff deliberations confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement of the decision.
Since President Biden took office, the administration has been reviewing tariffs on Chinese goods. These are tough tariffs on about $370 billion of annual imports from China that former President Donald Trump introduced as one of his signature policies.
The Biden administration has decided to keep the tariffs imposed on President Trump and add various more strategic items to the list. The decision was first reported by Bloomberg.
Tariffs are part of Biden’s industrial policy
The new items subject to tariffs align with Biden’s policy priorities, including climate, technology and manufacturing, the official said. These areas are covered by Biden’s Inflation Control Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, which made hundreds of billions of dollars available to strengthen the nation’s clean energy and semiconductor sectors.
Mr. Biden has been campaigning hard for the jobs the massive bill would create. He has insisted the project will use American-made products and labor.
“When I see people putting shovels in the ground with all these projects, when I see new pipes being laid and people going to work, I feel a sense of pride that my hometown is being rebuilt. I hope they feel a sense of pride in what they do,” he said on last week’s show.Wilmington, North Carolina
This is a message aimed at striking a chord in battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which have lost large numbers of jobs as manufacturing moves overseas.
In a speech to United Steelworkers members in Pittsburgh last month, Biden pointed out that more than 14,000 steelworkers lost their jobs in Pennsylvania and Ohio between 2000 and 2010. He also announced that he would like to increase tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports.
“I promise I will never let this happen again,” he said.
President Trump also said he would expand tariffs on imported goods, including including Chinese cars.
In Pittsburgh, Biden sought to contrast his approach as “strategic and targeted,” saying Trump’s broader approach would raise costs for American consumers.
