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Biden administration squeaks open door to tariff exemptions

Oct 11, 2021
Some companies that won exemptions from levies on Chinese goods in the past will be able to apply for relief again.
President Joe Biden at the White House. The administration is reopening the application process for companies seeking to avoid paying tariffs on certain goods imported from China.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Companies are worried tariff exclusions are getting harder to come by

Feb 3, 2020
The Wall Street Journal found just 3% of exemption decisions on a recent tariff list were approvals.
David McNew/Getty Images

My Economy: The personal cost of a year of tariffs

Mar 19, 2019
For Sam Desai, vice president at RM Metals, a year of tariffs on his balance sheet changed his work habits.
Tom Mihalek/Getty Images

Tariff exemption granted but confusion continues

Jul 27, 2018
There’s a lot of tariff talk swirling around these days, but let’s remember what began this trade war: President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. Since those tariffs were announced in March, companies have filed more than 28,000 requests for exemptions from the Department of Commerce. As of this week, only 1,000 applications have been […]

Can the government offset the costs of its trade fight?

Jul 25, 2018
The Department of Agriculture announced a $12 billion aid package on Tuesday for farmers impacted by U.S. trade disputes. The money would go to pork, soybean and dairy farmers among others who have been slapped with retaliatory tariffs in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods. But how much can the government do […]
Hank Keizer selects cattle to bring into the milk barn on his farm June 29, 2005 near Delavan, Wisconsin. The $12 billion aid package would go to dairy, soybean and pork farmers.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

A dreaded ending to the tariff exemption process

Jul 19, 2018
 Todd Adams is vice president of Stainless Imports Inc., a small family-owned stainless steel manufacturer based in Florida. We had Adams on the show in early May. His company had applied for an exemption from tariffs on a specific product; the company had “combed the earth” to find a mill that could produce it and found one […]

Navigating the objection phase of the tariff exemption process

Jun 21, 2018
This week, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the first official exemptions and rejections for companies that applied for exclusions from steel and aluminum tariffs. For seven lucky companies, that means they’ll get to stop paying the tariffs on specific imports — 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum. But for Sam Desai, who […]

For public good, not for profit.

Are businesses paying the price for Trump's negotiating strategy?

Jun 21, 2018
That’s what Kansas Senator Pat Roberts said to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross at Wednesday’s Finance Committee hearing. He also asked if Ross would personally call one of his constituents, Mike Bergmeier, who works at a company that makes agricultural equipment in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ross promised to call Bergmeier and he kept that promise. We […]

Filing for a tariff exemption? You probably need a lawyer

Jun 5, 2018
The cost of legal fees has come up among many we’ve interviewed about the process of applying for exemptions from steel and aluminum tariffs from the Department of Commerce. Kate Karol, counsel at Butzel Long in Detroit, has been working with several clients on their applications and said the people at her firm have spent […]

As the steel tariff exemption process drags on, optimism wanes

Jun 4, 2018
An American tire cord producer is frustrated by President Trump's 25 percent levy and an objection to his exemption application.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testifies about U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.,  in March.
AFP Photo / Saul Loeb