Biden is adding new tariffs on electric vehicles

Implications of the Trump Tax Cuts on American Automakers: Steelworkers in the U.S. are Making a Comeback

At a United Steelworkers union event in Pittsburgh last month, Biden made a point of mentioning that more than 15,000 steelworkers in Pennsylvania and Ohio had lost their jobs since 2000 because of imports from China.

Biden in Pittsburgh sought to contrast his approach as “strategic and targeted” and has said Trump’s broader approach would raise costs for U.S. consumers.

It’s a message aimed at resonating in swing states that lost massive numbers of jobs when manufacturing moved offshore — states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects, when they see new pipes being laid and people going to work, I hope they feel the pride that I feel — pride in their hometowns making a comeback,” he said last week in Wilmington, N.C.

Added to the list is a range of strategic items that will keep the Trump tariffs in place. The decision was first reported by Bloomberg.

The announcement, which could come as early as next week, was confirmed by a source familiar with the tariff deliberations, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement of the decision.

The country will no longer be able to afford to import cheaper and more desirable plug-in cars from China, because the president will soon increase the tariffs on Chinese EV’s.

But US automakers have long been worried that an influx of Chinese EVs could effectively put them out of business. Musk warned that Chinese makers would destroy their domestic rivals without trade barriers. The concern is that Chinese EVs are so cheap — BYD’s Seagull sells for around $10,000 — that domestic automakers couldn’t possibly compete. Other politicians have called for an outright ban of Chinese-made EVs.

Of course, the dearth of affordable electric vehicles in the US is partly contributing to a slowdown in sales. Biden is trying to reduce carbon emissions attributable to transportation.