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ISSA Issues Update on U.S. Tariffs With China
July 1, 2019A hold has been placed on the imposition of a fourth-round of U.S. tariffs on goods from China following U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s agreement at the G-20 summit in Osaka on June 30.
This is the most recent action after months of tariff debates. ISSA has been paying close attention to tariff discussions as they continue to harm many of our members. ISSA has been working with our lobbying firm DCLRS, submitting comments to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and engaging with our 9,300 members to propel enforceable trade agreements that remove current and proposed tariffs on the cleaning industry and better protect the legitimate business interests of our members.
Here is a chronological breakdown of ISSA’s advocacy efforts, our public comments, and where things stand with the tariffs:
May 10: ISSA released a comment in opposition to the 25% tariffs on US$200 billion worth of imports from China, professing the urgency of the matter while emphasizing the broad-reaching burdens that the tariffs will impose.
May 17: ISSA joined the Americans for Free Trade coalition, which comprises more than 150 business organizations working to highlight the economic burdens of tariffs.
June 5: ISSA issued an Action Alert on Tariffs, in which the association expressed concern about the adverse economic impacts of tariffs on the cleaning industry and encouraged involvement in our efforts.
June 14: ISSA joined more than 600 companies in signing onto the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign’s letter calling for trade dispute resolution. The letter will be open to additional signatures until July 4, when it will be reissued. Click here to sign onto the letter, and be sure to share the link with your members and affiliated associations.
June 29: President Trump met with President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Osaka and agreed to hold the imposition of China tariffs. However, U.S.-China relations remain tense. According to Chetan Ahya, global head of economics at Morgan Stanley, “the developments over the weekend on their own don’t do enough to remove the uncertainty created by trade tensions.”
July 1: ISSA formally submitted comments to USTR on July 1 because our member companies continue to be adversely impacted by the current tariffs. In the comments, ISSA asked that items used in cleaning be exempted from the tariffs.
Let your elected officials know how tariffs are impacting you or your business using The ISSA Action Center. We also encourage you to urge your customers and employees to do the same.
ISSA will continue to monitor and weigh in on other trade issues affecting our members. For additional information, or questions regarding tariffs, other legal issues, or ISSA’s advocacy efforts, please contact ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft at [email protected].