During testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed that the European Union, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and South Korea will be exempted from tariffs on steel and aluminum.
A Politico report says Lighthizer told the committee that, “the president has decided to pause the imposition of the tariffs with respect to those countries.” The levies are set to take effect on Friday. Canada and Mexico had already been exempted from the tariffs. The president agreed that “based on a certain set of criteria, that some countries should get out” and those are the countries that the U.S. has been negotiating with.
Lighthizer confirmed the exemptions after ranking member Ron Wyden asked the administration’s trade boss to provide some clarity on the exemption process. “Everyone here wants to be part of the consultation process, which we haven’t had much of, recently,” Wyden said. “Which countries – because it’s going to happen tomorrow – won’t have these steel and aluminum tariffs applied to them?” Lighthizer responded with, “It’s the list I just gave.”
The U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Commerce Department have been in talks with several countries about exempting them from the steel and aluminum tariffs.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.