Aluminum Tariff Increase is #NeverNeeded, Should Be Repealed Instead

President Trump’s decision to re-impose 10 percent aluminum tariffs against Canada is misguided policy for four reasons, according to CEI senior fellow Ryan Young:

“One, other countries nearly always retaliate against tariffs. A Canadian official has already said Ottawa ‘will react very similarly to the last (time they imposed) tariffs,’ which was in 2018. Trump’s reinstated tariffs will cause double harm to consumers and businesses in both countries.

“Two, the timing is awful. The U.S. economy has just experienced its worst decline in recorded history, including the Great Depression. Unemployment is in double digits. President Trump should not make matters worse by increasing taxes on U.S. consumers and businesses, and raising tensions with America’s largest trading partner.

“Three, aluminum-using industries from beverages to autos to electronics will have higher costs. That means higher prices for consumers, who will then have less money to spend on other goods. Moreover, much of the aluminum industry itself does not want the tariffs, saying so less than two months ago in an open letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

“Four, the point of the new USMCA trade agreement, which came into effect on July 1, was to reduce trade barriers. It succeeded for barely a month. CEI’s decision to oppose the agreement is so far being vindicated, though we would rather be proven wrong.

“It is time for Congress to reclaim the tariff-making authority it delegated to the President. He is clearly incapable of using them responsibly—even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than raising taxes and tensions at the worst possible time, the administration should lower trade barriers and continue to pursue regulatory relief.”

Resources

CEI’s #NeverNeeded website, neverneeded.cei.org.

Ryan Young, “Repeal #NeverNeeded Trade Barriers: Tariff Relief Would Aid Virus Response, Economic Recovery, and Long-Term Resiliency”

Iain Murray and Ryan Young, “Traders of the Lost Ark: Rediscovering a Moral and Economic Case for Free Trade”