U.S. seafood protests Trump tariffs
Story Date: 8/6/2018

 

Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 8/3/18

The U.S. seafood industry is starting an education campaign to convince Trump and other policymakers that American workers would be hurt, not helped, by his proposed new tariffs on China. The National Fisheries Institute, which represents the seafood industry, has rebranded its AboutSeafood.com website to tell the stories of American seafood workers threatened both by the proposed tariffs, as well as the retaliatory tariffs that China has already imposed in response to U.S. duties on more than $34 billion worth of Chinese goods.

"To understand the negative impact these tariffs will have on American workers, you have to go see them, you have to talk to them, you have to hear their concerns," National Fisheries Institute President John Connelly said in a statement. "We're bringing those stories to policymakers so they understand; this is not a theoretical, economic chess game. These tariffs have the potential to do a lot of harm to the seafood community and that community's jobs are right here in the U.S."

Political opposition: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) both raised concerns about the impact of China's retaliatory duties on their states' lobster exports during a hearing last week with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Their complaints were echoed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who told Lighthizer China's actions have "clearly rattled my state." The increased duty affects about 40 percent of the state's salmon exports and 54 percent of its cod exports that went there last year, she said.

























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