The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has signed an order to lower US tariffs on agricultural imports such as beef, bananas, coffee, and tomatoes, while his administration is under pressure from voters grappling with the rising cost of living. The Trump administration has decided that some agricultural products will be exempt from the “reciprocal” tariffs imposed this year – to counter behavior deemed unfair – after evaluating issues such as the US’s domestic capacity to produce certain goods. The other tariffs in force will continue to be applied.
Under pressure to lower the cost of living for Americans, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that removes the tariffs he himself imposed, exempting items such as coffee and exotic fruit. “I have determined that certain agricultural products should not be subject to the reciprocal tariffs” introduced in April, the US President explained in the order. The list includes products that the United States cannot grow, or can grow in quantities insufficient to meet its own needs, such as coffee, tea, bananas and other tropical fruits, and pine nuts.But it also includes cuts of beef, at a time when the price of this meat has reached record levels in the country.
In April, Trump imposed so-called “reciprocal” tariffs of at least 10% on most products imported into the United States, in the name of reducing the country’s trade deficit and supporting domestic production.These tariffs even applied to food products that cannot be grown in the United States.
After a heavy defeat in the local elections, the Republican majority put the cost of living back at the top of its priorities. Trump was re-elected with the promise of improving Americans’ purchasing power. This week, the White House highlighted the measures taken to lower the prices of essential goods such as gasoline and eggs, as well as the announcement of an agreement to reduce the prices of some weight-loss drugs.
On Italian pasta only antidumping investigation
War on Italian pasta manufacturers? “No, it is absolutely not true,” emphasized White House deputy spokesperson Kush Desai, interviewed by Sky Tg24, firmly denying reconstructions according to which the Trump administration had initiated action against Italian pasta manufacturers. “There has been an antidumping investigation on Italian pasta ongoing since 1996 and there are frequently annual reviews of this investigation. There was an annual review at the request of one of the involved parties and the Department of Commerce requested some simple information from Italian pasta manufacturers to calculate the appropriate tariff.”
“Many of these companies were not fully compliant with that data request and because of this the Department was unable to fully carry out the normal review process. Hence the preliminary determination of a 92% tariff, which adds to the 15% tariff, arriving at a 107% tariff,” Desai points out. “It is a preliminary assessment. They still have months, until January, before it is finalized, to submit that data and modify this tariff.” The deputy spokesperson then insisted on the non-political nature of the proceeding: “It is not an initiative of the Trump administration. Whether it’s President Trump, Joe Biden or Mr.
Magoo, this is an independent judicial process, which cannot be politically influenced. It is established by Congress by law.
Which companies are involved? “We are talking about La Molisana, Garofalo and others. These companies represent only about 16% of all Italian pasta exported to the United States. The vast majority of pasta consumed by Americans is produced directly in the United States,” adds Desai. In any case, any duties would hit “only a handful of companies that, for whatever reason, are not complying with a very simple request. If they had complied with the data request, as they have for many years – about 30 – we would not be here. The Department of Commerce contacted these companies on multiple occasions saying ‘We are missing this piece of data, we are missing that piece of data’ and these companies did not respond.” As for the scenarios, Desai does not speculate on the final tariff: “I cannot predict or estimate it. The duty is calculated by Congressional officials, not by individual politicians.”
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