The United Steelworkers union, in an open letter sent to all House and Senate offices, has told lawmakers that inflation is not an appropriate reason to roll back tariffs implemented by the Trump government. The United Steelworkers union says that existing tariffs are essential for protecting U.S. industries that have fallen victim to unfair trade practices carried out by China and other countries in the past. 

The letter, sent by USW President Tom Conway, highlighted the importance of existing tariffs by saying: 

“As outsourcing and offshoring have become ever more commonplace over the past two decades, our members witnessed the hollowing out of their communities as wages were depressed and jobs disappeared… Chinese import competition alone may explain one-quarter of the aggregate drop in the U.S. manufacturing workforce between 1990 and 2007. The negative impact of these trends on our economic and national security is undeniable. We must reverse course and ensure that more of our own needs can be met by producers here at home.” 

The letter asserts that because Trump’s Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs predate current inflation, any attempt to connect the two and use current inflation levels as a reason to drop import tariffs is disingenuous and betrays the hard work of the union and the steel industry in general. 

This comes after the New Democratic Coalition members have repeatedly asked for U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to remove steel and aluminum tariffs for U.S. allies. From the perspective of the New Democratic Coalition, doing so would both help the U.S. compete while reducing pressures caused by inflation.