Donald Trump Pushes Staff to Implement Tariffs Plan This Week - WSJ - 1 views
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WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is pushing his staff to draft a proclamation as soon as Thursday that would begin implementing his proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel, White House officials said, despite concerns from trade partners and lawmakers over the sweeping nature of the proposa
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday that it was possible the White House would issue waivers for certain countries but that no decisions had been made by Mr. Trump. Speaking to lawmakers on Tuesday, Mr. Mnuchin said that Mexico and Canada probably would be exempted from the tariffs if a new North American Free Trade Agreement is negotiated.
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Mr. Mnuchin has publicly supported the tariffs but has privately argued in favor of more targeted measures. That has put him alongside National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who said Tuesday he would resign from the White House after Mr. Trump blindsided his senior staff by announcing the tariffs last week.
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The departure will put pressure on other advisers, especially Mr. Mnuchin, to make the case for preserving the post-World War II trade architecture the U.S. helped construct and to speak credibly to financial markets.
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On CNBC, Mr. Ross said the steps were needed to target China, which is a major steel producer but doesn’t account for a large share of U.S. imports, because China makes significant transshipments through other countries.
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Critics have said the tariffs, issued under the guise of national-security considerations, will damage relationships with Canadian and European allies, slow economic growth and harm American metal-consuming industries.
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“He’s not afraid to get into a trade war although that’s not what we want,” said Mr. Mnuchin. “Let’s be very clear. We’re not looking to get into trade wars.”
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big benefits for the U.S. steel industry, but caused “some harm” to U.S. firms that use steel and faced higher costs.
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday there may be “potential carveouts” for Mexico, Canada and possibly other countries. But officials said it was unclear whether that would be addressed on Thursday; Mr. Trump may take additional action later to give national-security exemptions on a country-by-country basis