WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Biden hit China with new tariffs Tuesday to protect American manufacturing. The new taxes cover electric vehicles, solar cells, syringes, needles, steel and aluminum.
Critics quickly said in the end, it’s consumers who will pay for the new tariffs but in the Rose Garden the president said it is about American business and American jobs.
The president is hitting China with $18 billion of tariffs to protect American industries.
“For too long it hasn’t been fair,” Biden said.
They go into effect over the next three years.
“We’re not going to let China flood our market making it impossible for auto manufacturers to compete fairly,” Biden said.
The White House says China has used anti-competitive economic practices for years that have hurt Americans but that will change.
“Leveling the playing field, giving our workers and our businesses the chance to continue to compete and thrive,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai.
Outside court former president Donald Trump said he started this work and Biden is too late.
“They have to get going fast but it should have been done a long time ago,” Trump said.
However, Biden says the previous administration didn’t make any progress.
“He failed. He signed a trade deal with China… instead, China imports from America barely budged,” Biden said.
Alliance for American Manufacturing president, Scott Paul, is confident these tariffs will be better for the U.S. economy.
“This is a more robust strategy and I think it can be successful in jumpstarting what I think some of these industries of the future are,” said Paul.
Brandon Arnold, with the National Taxpayers’ Union, argues many Americans will suffer from these actions.
“When you raise tariffs, that means consumers pay more,” Arnold said.
The Chinese foreign minister called the tariffs “bullying.” The government said they will “seriously affect” the relationship with America.
The new tariff rates range from 100% on electric vehicles, to 50% for solar components, to 25% for all other sectors.
