Comment by rawgabbit
7 days ago
I agree with the goal. I disagree with the execution.
First, from the outside looking in, it appears these tariffs were implemented in an adhoc basis which disrupt supply chains potentially bankrupting companies and result in more layoffs in the short term.
Second, there should be a carve-out on tariff policy to respond to national security interests. e.g., if and when the US wants Ukraine to rebuild its fledgling export economy, the US should set the tariff on Ukraine's products to zero as it is in the US' interests that Ukraine is financially strong. Similarly, the US should use tariffs to protect industries it deems strategic such as manufacturing advanced computer chips.
In other words, instead of using a purely political process to set tariff policy, I would argue tariffs should be managed by an impartial semi-independent agency such as the Federal Reserve. The governors of such a tariff agency should be tasked with the goals of advancing long term US interests, economically, employment-wise, and national security interests.
The Trump administration set the Russia tariff to zero, and we do still import stuff from Russia in spite of all the sanctions and set the blanket ten percent rate on Ukraine as you write. Maybe this is simply the current administration's national security interest.
There's only one nation's security interest that are advanced by an emboldened Russia.
Most of Tulsi Gabbard's professed foreign policy beliefs prior to being added to this administration echoed Russian state policy, she called it being independent. Tim Pool was just added to White House press pool, he claims he was fooled into repeating information provided by Russia state media, after it was revealed they paid millions to him to do so. There is an awful lot of smoke here.