In a campaign opposing President Donald Trump‘s trade tariffs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday released a report revealing more than $3.6 billion in Alabama exports are threatened by the President’s new tariffs.
The Trump administration has targeted China, Canada, Mexico and European Union nations with large tariffs on imports, such as a 10 percent charge on imported aluminum and a 25 percent charge on steel, arguing their necessity to protect national security and to promote more domestic production.
But the Chamber says the tariffs threaten to spark a global trade war as Canada, Mexico, the EU, and China have already retaliated or announced plans to retaliate with billions of dollars in tariffs on American-made products.
“Tariffs imposed by the United States are nothing more than a tax increase on American consumers and businesses, including manufacturers, farmers, and technology companies, who will all pay more for commonly used products and materials,” the Chamber said in the report. “Retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. exports will make American-made goods more expensive, resulting in lost sales and ultimately lost jobs here at home. This is the wrong approach, and it threatens to derail our nation’s recent economic resurgence.”
The tariffs could also trigger job losses. The Chamber said 567,500 Alabama jobs are supported by global trade.
Alabamians against tariffs
Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey contacted U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and several members of the Alabama congressional delegation expressing her concerns over the tariffs.
“Import tariffs, and any retaliatory tariffs on American made goods, will harm Alabama, the companies that have invested billions of dollars in our state, and the thousands of households which are dependent upon those companies for a good-paying job,” Ivey said in a statement. “I strongly oppose any efforts that may harm those companies that employ thousands of Alabamians and contribute billions to our economy. I am committed to protecting Alabama jobs and consumers, the world over, who are proud to purchase products made in Alabama.”
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is also concerned with the tariffs.
“Auto manufacturers and suppliers employ nearly 200,000 of our constituents and that number is growing. These are good jobs employing American workers. Over the past several years the automotive industry, including foreign manufacturers, has invested billions in our states and created thousands of jobs,” wrote Jones, along with Tennessee U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander.
