Trade Cases
May 14, 2019
Trump Postpones Automotive Tariffs for Six Months
Written by Tim Triplett
Opponents of the proposed Section 232 tariffs on imports of autos and auto parts have won at least a temporary reprieve. On Friday, President Trump announced that he will wait six months before reconsidering the tariffs to give the U.S. Trade Representative time to negotiate new agreements on automotive trade with Europe and Japan.
In a report delivered to the president on Feb. 17, the Department of Commerce concluded that imports of automobiles and certain auto parts represent a threat to the domestic auto industry and thus threaten to impair U.S. national security. Commerce reached the same conclusion regarding imports of steel and aluminum. The president had a statutory deadline of May 18 to respond to the Commerce Department’s automotive report.
