U.S. Senate quietly votes to cut tariffs on hundreds of Chinese goods

[Dr. Who]

As trade tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. Senate quietly passed legislation on Thursday that would lower trade barriers on hundreds of items made in China.

With no debate, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would cut or eliminate tariffs on toasters, chemicals and roughly 1,660 other items made outside the United States.

Nearly half of those items are produced in China, according to a Reuters analysis of government records.The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, are increasingly at loggerheads over trade.

~snip

Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co, for example, would pay reduced tariffs on Chinese-made toaster ovens, steam irons and other household appliances it used to make domestically.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...ods/?cmpid=rss

IOW, these industries will not come back to America. The Senate just flipped Trump the bird.

[MisterVeritis]

As trade tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. Senate quietly passed legislation on Thursday that would lower trade barriers on hundreds of items made in China.

With no debate, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would cut or eliminate tariffs on toasters, chemicals and roughly 1,660 other items made outside the United States.

Nearly half of those items are produced in China, according to a Reuters analysis of government records.The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, are increasingly at loggerheads over trade.

~snip

Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co, for example, would pay reduced tariffs on Chinese-made toaster ovens, steam irons and other household appliances it used to make domestically.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...ods/?cmpid=rss

IOW, these industries will not come back to America. The Senate just flipped Trump the bird.

While it is an interesting gesture it is not relevant.

[Dr. Who]

While it is an interesting gesture it is not relevant.

It seems to me that one central aspect of Trump's platform was to force these very industries to return to America by making it unprofitable for them to do business overseas. Apparently, this was not, unsurprisingly, something that he could really accomplish unilaterally and his ability to even influence his own party, belies his self-acclaimed talent in that regard.

[Peter1469]

As trade tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. Senate quietly passed legislation on Thursday that would lower trade barriers on hundreds of items made in China.

With no debate, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would cut or eliminate tariffs on toasters, chemicals and roughly 1,660 other items made outside the United States.

Nearly half of those items are produced in China, according to a Reuters analysis of government records.The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, are increasingly at loggerheads over trade.

~snip

Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co, for example, would pay reduced tariffs on Chinese-made toaster ovens, steam irons and other household appliances it used to make domestically.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...ods/?cmpid=rss

IOW, these industries will not come back to America. The Senate just flipped Trump the bird.

Folding like this is why the US tends to lose trade wars. Go all in or don't go at all.

[MisterVeritis]

It seems to me that one central aspect of Trump's platform was to force these very industries to return to America by making it unprofitable for them to do business overseas. Apparently, this was not, unsurprisingly, something that he could really accomplish unilaterally and his ability to even influence his own party, belies his self-acclaimed talent in that regard.

Okay. Therefore what?

[Dr. Who]

Folding like this is why the US tends to lose trade wars. Go all in or don't go at all.

To do so, you have to have a consensus. Trump is unable to gain unanimity even within his own party let alone on a bipartisan basis.

[Dr. Who]

Okay. Therefore what?

Therefore most of his promises were transparently unsubstantiated statements intended to garner voters, but never remotely realistic. IOW they were lies intended to get votes. Worse than just stupid lies, they gave people a false sense that those old well-paid manufacturing jobs will come back and that people will not have to adapt to the new reality of the 21st century. If those industries ever come back, they will employ at most 5-10% of the people they used to employ. Lying to people just holds them back from moving forward.

[MisterVeritis]

To do so, you have to have a consensus. Trump is unable to gain unanimity even within his own party let alone on a bipartisan basis.

I suppose the question to ask is who has the authority to act?

[MisterVeritis]

Therefore most of his promises were transparently unsubstantiated statements intended to garner voters, but never remotely realistic. IOW they were lies intended to get votes. Worse than just stupid lies, they gave people a false sense that those old well-paid manufacturing jobs will come back and that people will not have to adapt to the new reality of the 21st century. If those industries ever come back, they will employ at most 5-10% of the people they used to employ. Lying to people just holds them back from moving forward.

You err in your opinion.

You are not from around here, are you?

[Dr. Who]

I suppose the question to ask is who has the authority to act?

Certainly not the President alone. Try getting it through the legislature. What's that? 535 reps in total?