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DeLauro Statement on Forthcoming Administration Rollout of Tariffs on Chinese Goods

June 14, 2018

WASHINGTON, DC (June 14, 2018) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement upon reports that the Administration will announce a finalized list of goods subject to tariffs as early as tomorrow. In April, the Administration proposed $50 billion in tariffs on goods from China.

"America has lost millions of jobs to China over the past few decades due to our massive trade deficit, and the recent chaos from the White House has done little to fix that problem. The Trump Commerce Department's disorderly implementation of trade enforcement tools has not inspired confidence in the President's ability to appropriately hold our trading partners accountable. That is why I will continue to call for a meaningful strategy to address our deep trade deficit with China that has led to the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs. To make matters worse, President Trump rolled back sanctions on Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE—after the company sold critical technology to Iran and North Korea and lied to U.S. security officials about it. President Trump should be focused on American jobs, not China's."

"I have never shied away from disagreeing with past presidents in my own party—or agreeing with those on the other side of the aisle—when it came to the fundamental changes needed in our nation's trade policy. That is why I supported the Administration's decision to launch an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act last year. For too long, we have allowed the Chinese government to extract sensitive technology, steal trade secrets, and force the transfer of technology, innovations, and production at the expense of American workers and production. China's deep integration of civilian and military technology development, as highlighted in by the nonpartisan U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, is particularly concerning and must be addressed."

"Tariffs must be seen as one tool among many our country can use to hold bad actors like China accountable and to bring the Chinese government to the table to secure a more favorable balance of trade. We cannot allow the recent chaos to continue and risk further damage to our standing in the world. That is why I am calling on President Trump to fight for American jobs with a comprehensive strategy that puts American economic interests front and center."