WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 10, 2021) — Today, Americans for Free Trade spokesperson Jonathan Gold released the following statement in response to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai’s remarks before the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) calling for workers to be a part of trade negotiations.
“We agree with and applaud the efforts of both President Biden and Ambassador Tai to create a worker-centric trade policy. However, a key element of re-examining past trade policy will be to take into consideration the negative impact of tariffs on jobs, investment, and the American worker. For example, current tariffs on imports from China only continue to deter companies from investing, hiring, and benefitting workers in the United States. American businesses and workers have already paid over $86 billion in tariffs. In order to truly accomplish a trade policy that benefits workers, the tariffs must be eliminated as soon as possible.”
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