U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., is urging the Trump administration to consider exempting 13 Pennsylvania companies — including ones in Bradford and St. Marys — from what he called another set of costly and counterproductive tariffs.
On July 6, the administration began imposing a 25-percent tariff on $50 billion worth of goods from China. As a result, Pennsylvania manufacturers are shouldering a new 25-percent burden on certain component parts.
The senator sent letters to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer to urge a full and fair review of all exclusion petitions by Pennsylvania companies, including General Electric, with a facility in Bradford, and LEDVANCE, formerly Osram, in St. Marys.
“GE has long supported free and fair trade, with open access to markets in the United States and around the world,” said a statement GE Corporate regarding the matter. “We remain concerned that these tariffs could make it harder for U.S. manufacturers to compete in the global economy, and will shrink rather than expand U.S. exports. We are working with the administration to minimize potential impact to our businesses.”
Meghan Thurlow, director of global public affairs for GE, said corporate officials testified before the administration May 16 about the impact the tariffs would have. She explained the May testimony was “about an effort to not have products put on the final list,” while the exclusion request is an effort to have some products removed from the list.
Toomey’s office indicated that a company may seek an exclusion from the 25-percent tax if demand for a necessary item cannot be met by a domestic firm. Approving these exemptions will help American employers remain competitive globally, stated Toomey, who also called attention to Beijing’s retaliatory tariffs against American exports.
“LEDVANCE, the makers of Sylvania light bulbs in the United States, has a long tradition of domestic production of high-quality light bulbs, using components from both the U.S. and abroad,” said Jennifer Dolin, head of government affairs and sustainability at LEDVANCE. “We produce lightbulbs of all technologies, and at our factory in Pennsylvania, we are producing LED light bulbs 4-times faster than the Chinese.
“The Trump Administration’s tariffs significantly impact our business, and we greatly appreciate Senator Toomey’s assistance to help support US manufacturing and American jobs,” she added.
Toomey said the tariffs are meant to target some Chinese imports that benefit from Beijing’s industrial policies, but are negatively impacting American manufacturers.
“Section 301 tariffs are direct taxes on American consumers and producers,” the senator said. “They directly reduce American purchasing power, curtail freedom, impede job creation and limit production.”
On a similar trade issue, Toomey and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., introduced bipartisan legislation to require congressional approval of tariffs designated under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. In April 2018, Toomey also called on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to exempt numerous Pennsylvania businesses from the section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
