Bipartisan Letter Asks USTR to Renew Section 301 Tariff Exclusions

Thirty Republicans, led by Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, and seven Democrats, led by Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, asked U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to renew expired Section 301 tariff exclusions on Chinese imports. “Some inputs for American manufacturers and small businesses remain unavailable outside of China,” they wrote Tai Wednesday. The senators, joined by independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, said expiring exclusions should also be renewed, to give companies time to modify their supply chains. They also said they hope the office will reopen applications for exclusions. “Such a process should emphasize transparency, speed, consistency, and fairness, and should acknowledge both the practical realities of global value chains and the broader aim of supply chain diversification,” they wrote. Reforming the Section 301 tariff exclusions process would be “very high on my radar,” if confirmed as USTR, testified Tai at her Feb. 25 confirmation hearing (see 2102250043). Her office didn’t respond to questions Thursday.