U.S. Steelworkers are Making a Comeback: Trump’s Plan to Increase Import Taxes on China’s Electric Vehicles

Last month, Biden announced in a speech to United Steelworkers union members in Pittsburgh that he wants to hike tariffs on imports of Chinese steel and aluminum, noting that more than 14,000 steelworkers in Pennsylvania and Ohio had lost their jobs between 2000 and 2010.

Biden in Pittsburgh said that Trump’s approach would raise costs for US consumers, compared with his approach of “strategic and targeted”.

It’s a message aimed at resonating in swing states that lost massive numbers of jobs when manufacturing moved offshore — states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects, when they see new pipes being laid and people going to work, I hope they feel the pride that I feel — pride in their hometowns making a comeback,” he said last week in Wilmington, N.C.

The new tariffs are also expected to apply to other clean energy goods, like solar panels and critical minerals, the Journal reports. Reports indicate that China will flood the market with less expensive products as it struggles with its own economy.

A source familiar with the deliberations of the decision said that an announcement could come as early as next week.

The president’s plan to impose higher tariffs on Chinese EV imports will likely end the option of the country to import cheaper plug in vehicles to the United States.

The Chinese auto industry is the largest in the world, and 30 percent of their vehicle sales are electric. China is the home of the majority of the world’s EV batteries, with many of the popular models praised for their design, function, and price.

There is a shortage of affordable electric vehicles in the US. Biden wants to reduce carbon emissions attributable to transportation.