Bipartisan Coalition of 167 Members of Congress Call on USTR Lighthizer to Establish Tariff Exclusion Process

On October 16, 2018, U.S. Reps. Jackie Walorski (Rep., Indiana) and Ron Kind (Dem., Wis.) called on United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to establish a process that allows U.S. companies to request an exclusion from the recent tariffs imposed on $200 billion of Chinese imports. This process would help U.S. companies retain global competitiveness, and would help target the effects of the tariffs on China, rather than on U.S. companies and consumers. Exclusions were established for all previous rounds of tariffs, but have been neglectfully omitted for the most recent tariffs.

Reps. Walorski and Kind were joined by a bipartisan coalition of 167 Members of Congress.

Statements from the lawmakers are below:

"We need to hold China accountable, but we need to do it in a way that doesn't harm American manufacturers, farmers, workers, and consumers. A fair and transparent exclusion process for U.S. businesses will help minimize the negative impact of these tariffs and build on our nation's economic momentum. The administration should heed our bipartisan call to establish a strong exclusion process and ensure we stay focused on the real target, which is China’s unfair trade practices," said Congresswoman Walorski.

"The very least this Administration can do is provide businesses the ability to petition their government to prove their case that these tariffs will hurt their businesses, workers, and customers alike. I am committed to working together to ensure we find a safe landing zone for American farmers and businesses, and will continue to call on the President and Ambassador Lighthizer to end these reckless tariffs," said Rep. Ron Kind.

This request remains consistent with previous Section 301 exclusion requests. An exclusion process is vital to ensuring that U.S. companies can seek relief in the event that there are no alternative suppliers of the good, or if other special circumstances exist that could harm their ability to compete in the global marketplace.

Read the letter HERE.