<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/opinion/tariffs-democrats-mexico.html" class="">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/opinion/tariffs-democrats-mexico.html</a> </div><div class=""><div class="ehdk2mb0 css-1vkm6nb"><h1 id="link-46baaba3" class="e1h9rw200 css-1khwk7e" data-testid="headline">Hey Democrats: It’s Time to Rethink Our Stance on Tariffs</h1></div><div class="css-ki3vv6"><time class="css-kx0gap e16638kd0" datetime="2025-03-07T05:03:43-05:00">March 7, 2025, <span class="css-epvm6">5:03 a.m. ET</span></time></div></div><div class=""><header class="euiyums1 css-16uri30"><div class="css-p6m5rf"><div class="byline-container css-t91cuf epjyd6m2"><div class="epjyd6m1 css-ehpuw4"><p class="e1jsehar1 css-1tx0lhj"><span class="byline-prefix">By </span><span class="last-byline css-1baulvz" itemprop="name">Chris Deluzio</span></p><div class="epjyd6m0 css-1gqes1i"><div id="enhanced-byline" class="css-8atqhb"><p class="e1wtpvyy0 css-1npznau"><i class="">Mr. Deluzio represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District.</i></p></div></div></div></div></div></header><section name="articleBody" class="meteredContent css-1r7ky0e"><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Democrats
have wasted no time rejecting President Trump’s tariffs as “damaging”
and “unnecessary.” My colleagues have lampooned them as “irresponsible,”
“bad economics” and purely a tax on consumers. This anti-tariff
absolutism is a mistake.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">I’m a Rust
Belt Democrat from a swing district in Western Pennsylvania — where
lousy trade deals like NAFTA stripped us for parts.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Many
of my constituents support smart tariffs, particularly ones that target
China, and so do I. Watching my colleagues on the Hill, it’s clear
we’re missing the mark. Democrats need to break free from the
wrong-for-decades zombie horde of neoliberal economists who think
tariffs are always bad.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Trump’s
tariff approach has been chaotic and inconsistent. There’s no doubt
about that. But the answer isn’t to condemn tariffs across the board.
That risks putting the Democrats even further out of touch with the
hard-working people who used to be the lifeblood of the party — people
like my constituents.</p></div></div></section></div><div class=""><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Instead,
Democrats should embrace tariffs as one component of a broader
industrial strategy to revitalize American manufacturing and make whole
communities that have been hollowed out by decades of bad trade policy.
This isn’t just about making the economy work for more Americans; it’s
also about earning back the trust and faith of the people we need to win
elections and who ought to be at the heart of the Democratic Party.</p><div id="NYT_MAIN_CONTENT_1_REGION" class="css-9tf9ac" data-testid="region"><div class="css-9tf9ac"></div></div><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Since
the 1990s, presidents from both parties pushed trade agreements that
were great for corporate bosses and their Wall Street overlords, but a
disaster for districts like mine. American companies offshored
production to take advantage of cheap labor in countries like Mexico,
which for decades have crushed independent unions to keep wages rock
bottom. Later, firms shifted production to China and Vietnam, which are
often called out for employing beggar-thy-neighbor tactics like wage
suppression, enormous subsidies and currency manipulation to jack up
their exports.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For too long, we
absorbed these unfair imports and created a chronic trade deficit that
deindustrialized our nation and fueled income inequality. In 2004, the
grandfather of modern trade economics, Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson, <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www3.nd.edu/*druccio/Samuelson.pdf__;fg!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4uc7_j9j$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revealed</a>
how offshoring could cost American workers more in relative wages than
they gained from cheaper imported goods, making the current trade regime
<a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.cepr.net/documents/publications/trade_2001_10_03.pdf__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4qjIzMDJ$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a bad deal</a> for <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.epi.org/publication/adding-insult-to-injury-how-bad-policy-decisions-have-amplified-globalizations-costs-for-american-workers/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4pKvOqA4$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most Americans</a>.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tariffs
are one of a few tools that can break this cycle: They force
mercantilist countries to increase their domestic consumption of what
they produce because they can no longer dump it in the United States.
Increasingly, policymakers — of all political stripes — recognize that
tariffs can help protect industries that are key to our economic and
national security, boost American production and wages, and safeguard
workers’ rights as well as our air and water by incentivizing firms to
raise their labor and environmental standards.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">If
you oppose all tariffs, you are essentially signaling that you are
comfortable with exploited foreign workers making your stuff at the
expense of American workers. I am not and neither are most voters. Many
polls show that Americans — especially the three-fifths without college
degrees — <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.reuters.com/world/us/us-voters-narrowly-support-trumps-tariff-pitch-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2024-09-15/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4j-19FAl$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support tariffs</a> in part, economists have <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/us/politics/trump-tariffs-jobs-voters.html__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4pRlFR8Z$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suggested</a>,
because communities harmed by global competition view them “as a sign
of political solidarity.” The Biden administration, to its credit,
tripled tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports. So, why is the
Democrats’ only message on tariffs that they raise prices? That was the
play during the 2024 election and it flopped. Just last month, a <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-approval-opinion-poll-2025-2-9/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!OStZcXFvC2yGaybeXIFXiBW1z9XZX4F_KXrxa8iZCVQ69vYLUlX-r4igRvxE7HU9SBUzLQxDD3dsu18h7NYq1CiNJ0fP4onE3fxy$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBS poll</a>
found that a majority of Americans one, thought Mr. Trump was not
focused enough on lowering prices, two, believed that tariffs could
increase prices and three, still wanted tariffs on China.</p></div></div><div class=""><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Rather than
reflexively condemning all tariffs, Democrats should be highlighting how
Mr. Trump’s scattershot threats, unanchored to any real industrial
strategy, will not deliver on the goals of rebuilding American
manufacturing, raising wages or rebalancing trade.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For
one thing, tariffs are effective only when used in a predictable and
stable way — and the Trump administration’s approach has been anything
but. On Feb. 1, Mr. Trump announced he was imposing new 10 percent
tariffs on China and fixing part of a <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://rethinktrade.org/reports/memo-potus-has-authority-to-fix-the-de-minimis-trade-loophole-now-facilitating-entry-of-deadly-fentanyl-from-china-and-a-flood-of-unfair-imports-that-crush-domestic-firms/?" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trade scam</a>
that allows four million packages to enter the United States daily
without facing tariffs, taxes or meaningful inspection — simply because
they’re labeled “low value.” Not only does this “de minimis” loophole
undermine U.S. producers and retailers, but traffickers also often <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.closedeminimis.com/letters/letter-to-president-trump__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!N1Q8C2z1_qWVDMEz1h9bytk0fo909oDvMbSFpCPKOdw0ZyjNO077NgtMbhodPF_C8fRzhnhZM6t1PKN9QxFZlOIzUL-imyw$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exploit it</a> to sneak in deadly fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/drugs-fentanyl-shipping/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!N1Q8C2z1_qWVDMEz1h9bytk0fo909oDvMbSFpCPKOdw0ZyjNO077NgtMbhodPF_C8fRzhnhZM6t1PKN9QxFZlOIz-z1tnPM$" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">precursor chemicals</a>.
Days after his announcement, Mr. Trump flip-flopped and reopened the
loophole. He raised China tariffs another 10 percent on March 4 — good!
But still, the loophole means billions in Chinese imports can evade
tariffs and inspections.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Trump’s
chaotic tariff two-step — imposing, delaying, threatening and then again
imposing tariffs, including on allies like Canada with whom we mainly
have balanced trade — is bad business for America. Entrepreneurs ready
to invest in production here sit on the sidelines, wondering where the
tariff roller coaster will stop.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Democrats should emphasize that tariffs alone will not create jobs or build new plants.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">They have to be paired with investments, tax incentives and other industrial policies. That is why Democrats passed the<em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0"> </em>Inflation
Reduction Act and the CHIPS & Science Act. As a result, in 2023 we
had the largest investment in new American factories in decades —
including a factory that Mitsubishi Electric plans to build in my
district, with hundreds of jobs coming online when it’s fully
operational. If the Trump administration succeeds in killing these
pro-manufacturing policies and illegally freezing the funding that
Congress approved, it would undermine the effectiveness of Mr. Trump’s
tariffs and his expressed goal of American industrial revival.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The
corporations that profited from the old trade regime should pay for
this revival, not workers and consumers. If we make it easier to join a
union and ban stock buybacks, the gains from protection will translate
into higher worker pay, not just windfall dividends for investors.
Strong antitrust enforcement can stop corporations from using the cover
of tariffs to intensify their price gouging. Mr. Trump and my Republican
counterparts oppose all of those plans. And that’s why their approach
is unlikely to benefit most Americans.</p></div></div><div class=""><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Every past trade
deal was sold to American workers with the same lie: that we could
export our way to a trade balance. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is
pushing that line now, claiming that a “reciprocal tariffs” plan can
intimidate other countries into cutting their tariffs and buying more of
our stuff. But the main problem is on the import side.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The
United States has had mostly duty-free access to Mexico’s markets since
the start of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 and we
still have a huge bilateral trade deficit with Mexico. Mr. Trump tried
to update NAFTA in his first administration, but our trade deficit only
expanded. Instead of just hitting Mexico with tariffs — if and when Mr.
Trump makes up his mind about them — we should fix the agreement he
signed with Mexico to force companies seeking its benefits to agree to
higher wages and stronger labor rights enforcement, to pay for their
pollution costs in Mexico and to stop Chinese firms from using it to
obtain duty-free access to the United States.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Western
Pennsylvanians know how important it is to get this right. We lost more
than our share of manufacturing jobs and factories to bad trade deals
and policies. As our tax base collapsed, hospitals, schools and vital
public services faltered, too, and communities were stretched to the
brink.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For the last decade, Mr. Trump
has capitalized on voters’ justifiable anger on bad trade deals, but his
administration is too undisciplined to deliver the relief Americans
need. That is why Democrats must fight hard for smart tariffs and other
trade policies that will deliver good-paying jobs and restore America’s
manufacturing leadership.</p></div></div><br class=""><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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