Category: Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 22, 2022) — In case you missed it, Americans for Free Trade recently hosted a “Tariff Talk” roundtable with business leaders across various industries. Participants included:

• Chris DiTullio, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer, JOANN – Hudson, OH
• Sherrill Mosee, Inventor and Designer of MinkeeBlue – Philadelphia, PA
• Joe Shamie, Co-President of Delta Children’s Products – New York, NY
• Rob Cohen, VP, Display Supply & Lighting, Inc. – Boston, MA
• Joe Bell, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Aqua Filter Fresh, Inc. – Pittsburgh, PA
• Deena Ghazarian, Founder/CEO, Austere – Wilsonville, OR
• Anne Leventry, President, PanAmerican Seed Company – Chicago, IL

Kicking off the event, speakers took the time to note what tariffs really are: taxes on American businesses, consumers, and workers.

“The tariffs are really a tax on small businesses like ours.” – Rob Cohen

“This 25 percent tariff that you have put on, basically parents, is a tax on those individuals that have so many other expenses when a new child comes into their life. Why would you put 25 percent additional cost on [parents] developing safe places for their children to sleep, for their children to play, and for their children to enjoy?” – Joe Shamie

Throughout the event, participants also highlighted how the trade war with China has personally affected their companies:

“Small businesses like mine have taken a hit from tariffs, a global pandemic, rising logistics costs and increased employment costs. The Administration and Congress should take steps to provide tariff relief so small businesses can endure these challenges and thrive.” – Deena Ghazarian

“We would like to stay American-based, but these kinds of policies are very problematic for us.” – Anne Leventry

“I have raised my prices a little bit, but it really does not cover all of the additional costs with the tariffs.” – Sherrill Mosee

Inflation concerns were top-of-mind:

“Our customers, the American people, are in great need of inflation relief, and rescinding these tariffs can help achieve that goal.” – Chris DiTullio

“How many more blows can small businesses afford to take? A rescission of these tariffs can help us all feel relief from the inflationary market we are living in.” – Rob Cohen

“The tariffs are adding costs to an already inflationary market … As I stated we’re a small company and this has caused us to raise our cost to our customers.” – Joe Bell

Business leaders concluded that it’s time for the Biden administration to finally take action and address the trade war with China:

“I believe one of the most important actions the administration can take to help real Americans with inflation is to rescind the Trump-era Section 301 tariffs.” – Chris DiTullio

“I’m asking that the president really look into this, especially for a small business as myself to lower those taxes.” – Sherrill Mosee

If you are interested in speaking with someone about the trade war and its negative impact on Americans, please contact press@americansforfreetrade.com.
 

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(WASHINGTON) – Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of business organizations from every sector of the American economy, today released the following statement on introduction of the Import Tax Relief Act. The bipartisan bill would provide American businesses with much-needed relief by providing an exclusion process for recent tariffs on $200 billion in goods.

Coalition launches Cost of the Trade War Ticker showing Americans are paying $1,046 per second for recent import tariffs 

(WASHINGTON) – Americans for Free Trade, a broad coalition of American businesses and trade associations united against tariffs, today sent a letter to President Donald Trump commending the administration for making progress on trade negotiations and recognizing the negative impact of tariffs on American Businesses by avoiding a tariff hike on March 2. The coalition emphasized the urgency of concluding trade talks as existing tariffs and ongoing uncertainty continue to hurt businesses across the country. 

Coalition of nearly 150 organizations representing U.S. manufacturers, farmers, retailers and consumers sends letter to welcome new members of congress and stress impact of tariffs in all 50 states

Letter includes new statistics on how tariffs are impacting imports and exports in each member’s own backyard

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Free Trade today sent a letter to Capitol Hill welcoming newly-elected and returning members to the 116th Congress. In the letter, the coalition urged congressional members to consider the costs of the trade war on their home districts and states and to exercise their oversight role in trade policy matters.

“The 116th Congress is beginning during a period of unprecedented economic growth and job creation, yet continued prosperity is not a foregone conclusion. We share the broadly-held concern about the impact to the U.S. economy of the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China, Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and corresponding retaliation against U.S. exports,” the coalition stated.

The letter encourages members of congress to listen to the stories of their constituents being hurt by tariffs and engage with them at events back home. Americans for Free Trade is holding townhall events across the country as part of the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign. The town halls bring local businesses and farmers together to tell their stories of how tariffs are hurting them. The letter also includes a link to www.tariffshurt.com/state-impact-reports, where members can easily view the tremendous impact of tariffs on each of their states.

“We hope you will lend your support to AFT’s efforts across the country and participate in in-district events with affected stakeholders,” the coalition added. “We also strongly encourage Congress to exercise its oversight role on trade policy matters to prevent further harm to U.S. workers, consumers, and families that will result from both the existing and proposed tariffs.”

Americans for Free Trade and the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign have also been releasing monthly data on the impact of tariffs on imports and the damage retaliatory tariffs have had on American exports.

Americans for Free Trade will continue to use its diverse coalition of employers in communities across the country to press for resolution of ongoing trade disputes with China. Americans for Free Trade is also working with Farmers for Free Trade on a grassroots nationwide campaign to illustrate the impacts of tariffs on American businesses, families, farmers and manufacturers.

Full text of the letter can be found below and downloaded here.

Dear [Senator][Representative]:

Congratulations on becoming a Member of the 116th Congress. We appreciate your

dedication to public service and your willingness to make the many sacrifices entailed by Federal

service.

Our companies and associations joined together to form Americans for Free Trade

(www.americansforfreetrade.com), a growing coalition comprised of manufacturers, farmers and

agribusinesses, retailers, technology companies, service providers, natural gas and oil companies,

importers and exporters, and other supply chain stakeholders who are united in their concern about

the negative impacts that indiscriminate tariffs will continue to have on U.S. businesses, workers

and consumers.

The 116th Congress is beginning during a period of unprecedented economic growth and

job creation, yet continued prosperity is not a foregone conclusion. We share the broadly-held

concern about the impact to the U.S. economy of the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China,

Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and corresponding retaliation against U.S.

exports. We agree that China must be held to account for its violations of our trade laws and the

international trade obligations all nations share. However, imposition of a tariff of up to 25 percent

on $250 billion worth of China products – and the threat to impose a similar duty on $267 billion

more of such products – will not remedy the situation. We continue to see stories on a daily basis

about companies, both large and small, who are being harmed by these tariffs. Similarly, the tariffs

on imported steel and aluminum, and the resulting retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports are further

harming U.S. companies of all sizes.

Over decades, Americans have built global supply chains that reflect the U.S. economy’s

strengths and those of its trading partners. These supply chains have made the U.S. economy even

more dependent upon relationships with key economic and strategic allies than ever before.

Supply chains are extremely complex and they cannot be shifted overnight. The disruption caused

by the use of tariffs seeks to harm these key relationships and damage the U.S. economy, which

still remains extremely strong.

AFT has joined with Farmers for Free Trade to support the “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland”

campaign (www.tariffshurt.com) to highlight and show the negative impacts of the tariffs to

businesses large and small, workers and families.

We hope you will lend your support to AFT’s efforts across the country and participate in

in-district events with affected stakeholders. We also strongly encourage Congress to exercise its

oversight role on trade policy matters to prevent further harm to U.S. workers, consumers, and

families that will result from both the existing and proposed tariffs.

We invite you to learn more about the negative impact of tariffs in your state by visiting

www.tariffshurt.com/state-impact-reports. If you have questions about the AFT coalition, please

visit www.americansforfreetrade.com or contact info@americansforfreetrade.com.

Sincerely,

Coalition of nearly 150 organizations representing U.S. manufacturers, farmers, retailers and consumers sends letter asking President Trump to reach an agreement that addresses China’s unfair trade practices and policies

WASHINGTON — Americans for Free Trade today sent a letter to President Trump urging the White House to resolve the ongoing trade war with China during the President’s meeting with Chinese President Xi at the G20 meeting this week.

“Mr. President, we urge you to capitalize on your upcoming meeting with President Xi to reach an agreement that addresses China’s unfair trade practices and policies in order to remove the 2018 tariff increases, forgo the January 2019 tariff increase and avoid an additional round of tariffs on the remaining $267 billion worth of everyday consumer products and manufacturing inputs. Millions of American farmers, business owners, companies, workers, and families are counting on you to make a deal,” the coalition said.

Today’s letter follows months of negative nationwide economic consequences caused by the impact of tariffs on American businesses, workers and families. Americans for Free Trade is holding townhall events across the country as part of the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign. The town halls bring local businesses and farmers together to tell their stories of how tariffs are hurting them.

“Tariffs are leading to fewer opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers to compete in overseas markets and less income to provide for their families,” the coalition added in today’s letter. “For U.S. companies importing manufacturing inputs or finished products, these significant costs will result in higher prices, fewer jobs, slower wage growth and reduced investment. We will continue to see the cost of the trade war ripple through the U.S. economy and reverse this year’s economic progress.”

Americans for Free Trade and the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign have also been releasing monthly data on the impact of tariffs on imports and the damage retaliatory tariffs have had on American exports.

Americans for Free Trade will continue to use its diverse coalition of employers in communities across the country to press for resolution of ongoing trade disputes with China. Americans for Free Trade is also working with Farmers for Free Trade on a grassroots nationwide campaign to illustrate the impacts of tariffs on American businesses, families, farmers and manufacturers.

Full text of the letter can be found below and downloaded here.

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the Americans for Free Trade Coalition, we are writing to urge you to resolve the ongoing

trade dispute with China during your meeting with President Xi this month. Resolution of this dispute is

essential to keeping America competitive on the global stage while growing our economy and the

millions of jobs supported by trade here at home.

Our diverse coalition represents every part of the U.S. economy including manufacturers, farmers and

agribusinesses, retailers, technology companies, service suppliers, natural gas and oil companies,

importers, exporters, and other supply chain stakeholders. Collectively, we support hundreds of millions

of American jobs through our vast supply chains.

We agree that trading partners should abide by the global trade rules. Accordingly, we believe that

targeted trade actions are effective measures for proven trade violations. Broadly applied tariffs, however,

are not.

At a time when our economy is booming, unemployment is at record lows and consumer confidence is at

its highest level in nearly two decades, we are united in our concern over the harmful consequences of

tariffs for American businesses, workers, and families. Since our coalition launched in September, we

have held townhall events across the country where Americans, including owners of local businesses

large and small, detailed how tariffs hurt businesses, consumers and communities. Here are a few

examples of what they’ve been saying at our town halls.

• Columbus, Ohio: President and CEO of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants Gordon Gough said, “Retailers in Ohio have limited resources, so they won’t be able to simply absorb the cost of these new taxes. Instead, these costs will show up in the form of fewer jobs and higher prices for Ohioans.”
• Dallas, Texas: South Texas farmer and rancher Scott Frazier warned that “agriculture is bearing the brunt of these retaliations at a time when we can least afford it.”
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: President and CEO of the Marquis-Larson Boat group called the tariff impact on the boat building industry “catastrophic,” adding that the “little guys are just getting crushed.”
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Not only are these tariffs costing consumers more for everyday products, but they are impeding access to new markets for Pennsylvanian farmers and business owners. “America’s farmers produce enough food to meet the needs of consumers within our borders and worldwide who desire our high-quality products,” said Juniata County hog and chicken farmer Chris Hoffman. “Tariffs threaten our ability to market our products and directly affect our profitability. It is critically important for U.S. farmers to have access to free markets to remain economically viable.”
• Rutherford County, Tennessee: Hog farmer Brandon Whitt expressed his concern that if the trade war doesn’t end soon, markets could be lost and the trade war could cause “permanent damage to farming and agriculture in Tennessee and across the country.”

These stories of economic hardship are unfolding nationwide. The harm will be exacerbated when the

tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods increase to 25 percent on January 1, 2019. Further, the additional

threat of tariffs on the remaining $267 billion worth of trade with China is causing even greater concern

for job creators across the country.

The impacts are supported by real numbers. According to data released by the joint Tariffs Hurt the

Heartland campaign in October 2018, American businesses paid over $5.6 billion in tariffs – more than a

70 percent increase from the same month last year. In September 2018, U.S. exports subject to retaliatory

tariffs declined by $2.5 billion, or 26 percent, from the previous year, having an immediate and severe

impact on U.S. products sent abroad.

Tariffs are leading to fewer opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers to compete in overseas

markets and less income to provide for their families. For U.S. companies importing manufacturing inputs

or finished products, these significant costs will result in higher prices, fewer jobs, slower wage growth

and reduced investment. We will continue to see the cost of the trade war ripple through the U.S.

economy and reverse this year’s economic progress.

Mr. President, we urge you to capitalize on your upcoming meeting with President Xi to reach an

agreement that addresses China’s unfair trade practices and policies in order to remove the 2018 tariff

increases, forgo the January 2019 tariff increase and avoid an additional round of tariffs on the remaining

$267 billion worth of everyday consumer products and manufacturing inputs. Millions of American

farmers, business owners, companies, workers, and families are counting on you to make a deal.

Coalition of over 100 organizations representing U.S. manufacturers, farmers, retailers and consumers sends letter to USTR requesting an exclusion process for Section 301 “List 3” tariffs

WASHINGTON — Americans for Free Trade today sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer requesting an exclusion process for the most recent wave of tariffs on $200 billion in goods.

Today’s letter follows the Trump administration imposing a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion in products that American business, farmers, manufacturers and consumers rely on. While an exclusion process was provided to American businesses for the nearly $50 billion in previously announced tariffs (Lists 1 and 2), the administration has said that no similar process will be provided on the most recent tariffs on $200 billion (List 3) in goods that went into effect Monday.

“Businesses and industries across the board are concerned about the impact that the tariffs will have on their operations, workers and customers,” the coalition wrote in the letter. “It can take months, if not years, for companies to successfully shift their supply chains to find new vendors who meet all of their requirements to produce safe, quality and compliant products under socially responsible conditions.”

“The latest round of tariffs also provides U.S. companies with very little time to properly plan to rework their supply chains as the tariffs took effect six days after the final list was announced,” the coalition said.

Americans for Free Trade will continue to use its diverse coalition of employers in communities across the country to press for the same exclusion process that had been provided on previous tariff lists. Americans for Free Trade is also working with Farmers for Free Trade on a grassroots nationwide campaign to illustrate the impacts of tariffs on American businesses, families, farmers and manufacturers.

Full text of the letter can be found below and downloaded here.

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

On behalf of the Americans for Free Trade, we are writing to request that the

Administration include an exclusion process for the recently announced 10 percent tariffs on

close to $200 billion worth of imports from China (List 3). We appreciate that USTR included

such processes for the List 1 and List 2 tariffs. Many of the groups listed below previously wrote

to you in August with recommendations for the previous exclusion processes. We strongly

believe that the exclusion process should continue for this latest round of tariffs which

encompass a wider swath of covered HTS lines. It is even more important since the tariffs will

escalate to 25 percent on January 1, 2019.

As USTR and the 301 interagency committee heard during the six-day List 3 hearing

from over 350 witnesses and in the over 6,000 submissions to the docket, businesses and

industries across the board are concerned about the impact that the tariffs will have on their

operations, workers, and customers. It can take months, if not years, for companies to

successfully shift their supply chains to find new vendors who meet all of their requirements to

produce safe, quality, and compliant products under socially responsible conditions. This

assumes that such a vendor exists and can produce the required products or components at an

equal capacity, quality, and similar price.

The latest round of tariffs also provides U.S. companies with very little time to properly

plan to rework their supply chains as the tariffs took effect six days after the final list was

announced. While we appreciate that USTR removed some items from the final list, there are

many, many other products, especially at the 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System level that

should be considered for an exclusion. In fact, USTR demonstrated this very need when it

removed some products at the 10-digit level. In addition, where relief was partially granted

under some HTS codes, there are cases where essentially the same product was not granted a

similar exemption, creating a situation of more favorable treatment for some business within the

same industry producing the same items.

Testimony and submissions to the List 3 docket repeatedly noted that the products

included on List 3 have nothing to do with the original 301 investigation which focused on

China’s practices regarding forced technology transfer and unfair trade practices. While there is

widespread agreement that these underlying concerns are issues that need to be addressed, tariffs

do not address these important issues. In addition, because the criteria for inclusion or removal

from the final list were not made public, companies in sectors unrelated to the 301 investigation

had little advance warning that their specific products would be subject to tariffs.

Americans for Free Trade is a coalition representing U.S. manufacturers, farmers and

agribusinesses, retailers, technology companies, service suppliers, natural gas and oil companies,

importers, exporters, and other supply chain stakeholders, who are united in their concern about

the negative impacts that these tariffs are and will continue to have on U.S. businesses, workers

and consumers.

We call upon USTR and the administration to reconsider the decision not to include an

exclusion process for the List 3 China tariffs. If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan

Gold (goldj@nrf.com). We thank you for your consideration.

CONTACT:

Jon Gold (GoldJ@NRF.com) or  Melanie Lehnhardt (Melanie@TariffsHurt.com)

Leading Trade Organizations Join Together in Major Campaign Against Tariffs

Farmers for Free Trade joins with Americans for Free Trade, a new coalition of the largest retail, manufacturing, technology and services trade organizations, in a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign against tariffs

“Tariffs Hurt the Heartland” will tell the stories of American families, farmers, workers and businesses who are being hurt by the trade war; Will kick off with events in Chicago, Nashville, Pennsylvania and Ohio next week

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2018 — Over 80 of the nation’s leading trade associations representing thousands of businesses and workers today announced the formation of Americans for Free Trade a multi-industry coalition aimed at opposing tariffs and highlighting the benefits of international trade to the U.S. economy. This new coalition will immediately join Farmers for Free Trade, the coalition backed by the nation’s largest ag commodity groups, in a multi-million dollar national campaign called Tariffs Hurt the Heartland. The campaign will focus on telling the stories of the American businesses, farmers, workers and families harmed by tariffs through town-hall style events, grassroots outreach to Congress and the administration, social media, rapid response and digital advertising.   

The campaign includes a geographically searchable map (TariffsHurt.com) that allows users to find stories of job losses, deferred investments, higher prices and other negative consequences for farmers and businesses in communities across the country impacted by tariffs.

Continue reading “Leading Trade Organizations Join Together in Major Campaign Against Tariffs”