Business Groups Warn Trump Against Keeping Tariffs On Chinese Goods

U.S. business and farm groups are warning President Donald Trump against keeping tariffs on Chinese goods if he reaches a trade deal with Beijing. In a letter, companies called for the "full and immediate removal of all added tariffs" on Chinese goods in a deal, saying anything less would be a "loss for the American people... American businesses and farmers... were promised that tariffs were merely a means to an end, and that all this damage would be worth it," they wrote to Trump. "A deal that fails to lift tariffs would represent a broken promise to these hardworking Americans." The letter noted that, "To date, Americans have paid over $21 billion in taxes due to the imposition of new tariffs. Furthermore, every single second the tariffs remain in place, Americans are paying over $1,500 in added tariffs," The groups said the figures do not reflect the "impact of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. farmers, manufacturers and exporters." Commenting on a major topic of ongoing negotiations, the business groups wrote the administration "must avoid any enforcement mechanism that would trigger future tariffs and result in long-term economic uncertainty." They added: "We agree that enforcement must be part of a final deal. However, coming home from the bargaining table with a deal that results in perpetual tariffs would be a failure."