FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump will soon have to decide whether to impose the types of tariffs on imported products that he has long championed after a federal body again recommended stiff levies, this time on foreign-made washing machines.
The United States International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial body that rules on trade cases, unanimously recommended that the president take action to limit imports of washers, a move that could help the domestic manufacturer Whirlpool better compete with its foreign rivals Samsung and LG.
The trade officials recommended that the United States impose what is known as a ‘tariff-rate quota’ — a tax on imports that would go into effect after a certain number of foreign products entered the American market. In this case, they recommended that the United States impose a tariff starting at 50 percent on all washers imported after the first 1.2 million units for the next three years, with the tariff rate to decrease slightly in the next few years. Two of the four commissioners issuing the decision also recommended an additional charge.”
-Ana Swanson, “Trump Must Decide on Tariffs for Imported Washing Machines,” The New York Times online, Nov. 21, 2017