Republican Senators Urge Biden to End Trump-Initiated Trade War

By Laura Davison (Bloomberg) —

A group of Republican lawmakers asked President Joe Biden to end the “self-inflicted harm” his GOP predecessor, Donald Trump, caused in starting a multi-front trade war with China and European allies.

Seven Republican senators sent a letter to the White House asking Biden to repeal tariffs and other trade barriers that Trump implemented during his time in office affecting a wide range of industries, including agriculture, carmakers and manufacturers.

“An important first step would be to reduce barriers to trade with our allies,” the letter said. “By doing so, we can stop damaging actions and retaliation and mend relationships while listening to businesses across the country that have suffered from the negative economic consequences.”

The letter, dated Wednesday, was signed by Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Deb Fischer of Nebraska.

Biden campaigned on ending Trump’s trade policies and returning to multi-lateral negotiations with trading partners. In practice, Biden has been slow to remove all of the tariffs with the new administration still evaluating the next generation of policies, in particular toward China.

© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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