WASHINGTON — Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of business organizations from every sector of the American economy, sent a letter to President Trump urging five specific outcomes from U.S.-China trade talks, which the White House has said are nearing completion. The letter, which was signed by 151 coalition association partners representing companies that employ tens of millions of American workers and provide goods and services to virtually every corner of the United States, asks for:
- The full and immediate removal of all recently imposed tariffs, including U.S. tariffs and China’s retaliatory tariffs as part of a final deal
- A deal that levels the playing field for U.S. companies by achieving meaningful changes to address China’s unfair trade practices that put American technology, innovation and intellectual property at risk
- Avoidance of any enforcement mechanism that would trigger further tariffs
- Clarity on how the tariff exemption process will be carried out in the event of a deal
- An economic assessment by the Administration examining the costs of tariffs for American businesses and consumers
“American businesses and farmers bearing the burden of the trade war have been told repeatedly by your Administration that they must endure ‘short-term pain for long-term gain’ the letter states. “They were promised that tariffs were merely a means to an end, and that all this damage would be worth it. A deal that fails to lift tariffs would represent a broken promise to these hardworking Americans.”
Americans for Free Trade continues to advocate at the national and grassroots level to help illustrate the negative economic impacts of recent tariffs and the trade war. On April 24th, Americans for Free Trade will holding a town hall event in Williamsburg, Iowa as part of the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign that will bring together businesses, farmers, and elected leaders to examine the impact across Iowa.
