Biden weighs China tariff alternatives as requests mount

The White House said on Tuesday (Jul 5) that President Joe Biden’s team is still considering whether to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports in an effort to reduce inflation.

As of late Tuesday, the US Trade Representative’s office had received more than 400 petitions to maintain tariffs in place on Chinese imports. This complicates Biden’s decision-making.

A group of 24 labor unions, ranging from the AFL-CIO to the Air Line Pilots Association, has asked that all of President Donald Trump’s “Section 301” tariffs, which cover over US$370 billion in Chinese imports, be kept in place. They are part of the coalition.

Biden would be betraying a crucial group if he removed tariffs in their entirety. As he has said, he is the most pro-labor president in history, and his Democratic Party primary and general election victories in 2020 will rely primarily on unions to propel him to victory.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden’s team was still examining several methods after weeks of deliberations within the administration over decreasing tariffs as a means to relieve high inflation.