Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration’s massive new tariffs, paired with its cuts to export promotion programs, have left U.S. exporters at a major disadvantage in international markets.
A new Center for American Progress column reviews how the Trump administration’s agenda has led to a decline in U.S. export competitiveness, focusing on three reinforcing factors:
- Retaliatory tariffs are making it harder for U.S. exporters to compete in key markets. U.S. exporters are confronting retaliatory tariffs in China, Canada, and the European Union markets. And more retaliatory measures against U.S. exports are planned if the Trump administration moves forward with further tariffs.
- Foreign consumers are boycotting goods associated with the United States. Several countries, such as Canada and France, are seeing consumers boycott American products and choosing non-U.S. alternatives when available to protest the Trump administration’s actions. These boycotts are already being felt by American farmers and businesses, with forward-looking indicators suggesting declining exports going forward.
- The Trump administration has gutted the programs that help U.S. exporters. The loss of potential export markets for U.S. producers is made worse by the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal agencies that help exporters compete abroad, such as the Minority Business Development Agency, the Small Business Administration, and the International Trade Administration.
“U.S. exporters employ millions of Americans,” said Ryan Mulholland, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of the column. “The Trump administration’s massive new tariffs, belligerence on the world stage, and cuts to federal export promotion programs are making these firms less competitive, putting a source of national prosperity at risk.”
Read the column: “The Trump Administration’s Approach to Trade Abandons American Exporters” by Ryan Mulholland
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