Letter to Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States - Congressman Ryan Urges Biden Administration to Keep Trade Tariffs Against China and Put American Workers First

Dear President Biden:

I urge you to keep in place trade tariffs against China in accordance with Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to demonstrate our willingness to prioritize the livelihood of American workers. Tariff reductions would strip the U.S. of leverage in negotiations with China, inundate American companies with a slew of imports they may not be able to withstand, and would essentially reward China for failing to comply with the Phase One Agreement.

As you know, the United States imposed tariffs on $370 billion worth of goods to counter discriminatory and injurious economic activity from China. These tariffs played a key role in coming to terms with China in the Phase One Agreement that sought to curb these unfair trade practices. Tariff reduction would only serve to embolden an already aggressive Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to further undermine U.S. interests. We should not reward this behavior by ending the imposition of these measures, nor should we signal to the world that cheating our trade laws will be tolerated.

It would be extremely naive to disregard China's recent malign activity. These actions raise serious geopolitical concerns that pose a threat to the American economy and our democracy. China has been committing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the autonomous Xinjiang region and other parts of the country. China is also one of Vladimir Putin's greatest supporters, even as Russia continues its unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. For these reasons I am very concerned about America's future relationship with China. Maintaining Section 301 tariffs is necessary to ensuring economic stability and American prosperity by making sure that China is unable to cheat and benefit from unfair competition.

I have long opposed letting China get away with policies that discriminate against U.S. exports and contribute to the reduction of American jobs, manufacturing, and innovation. We cannot continue to enable China's practices that cripple our workforce by allowing Chinese-made products to flood our markets. Instead, we need to prioritize American workers and American manufacturing companies. When American workers have a level playing field on which to compete, they will out-produce workers in any country in the world. Again, I strongly urge you to keep these Section 301 tariffs in place.

Source