Bipartisan Bill to Delay Auto Tariffs Reintroduced

A bill that would delay the imposition of Section 232 tariffs on imported autos and auto parts until the International Trade Commission evaluates the industry was reintroduced in the Senate Jan. 15 by its co-sponsors Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala. Jones and Alexander introduced their first bill in July last year (see 1807250048). The ITC is closed during the partial federal government shutdown, and any such comprehensive study would likely have to wait until after the ITC evaluation of the economic benefits of the new NAFTA. The Commerce Department is supposed to make its recommendation to President Donald Trump in mid-February.

Jones said, "As the son of a steelworker, I know well that there is a need to address the bad actors like China who’ve taken advantage of us on trade and I share the President’s goal of reviving our domestic manufacturing industry. However, that should be done in a way that doesn’t hurt other major job-creating industries and increase costs for American consumers."