The president said advisers would devise new tariff levels reflecting countries’ tariffs, taxes, subsidies and other policies affecting trade with the United States.The New York Times reports that on Feb. 13, 2025 at 4:05 p.m. ET, President Trump announced new tariffs on U.S. trading partners around the world. This move is expected to shatter the rules of the global trading system and spark intense negotiations.
The president has directed his advisers to calculate new tariff levels that take into account a range of trade barriers and other economic approaches adopted by America’s trading partners. This includes not only the tariffs they charge on U.S. imports, but also taxes on foreign products, subsidies given to their own industries, and other behaviors deemed unfair by the president.
Trump has stated that these tariffs are necessary to address the “unfair” relationships that the United States has with other countries on trade. However, his ultimate goal is to bring manufacturing back to the United States by incentivizing companies to produce their products domestically.
The president’s nominee for commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, and his pick for U.S. trade representative, Jamieson Greer, have both expressed support for these tariffs. They believe that this move will level the playing field for American businesses and workers.
In addition to the new tariffs, the Senate has also confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the health and human services secretary. Kennedy, who has expressed skepticism of vaccines, was sworn in at the White House on Thursday. The Senate has also advanced the nomination of Kash Patel as F.B.I. director, a move that could lead to significant changes within the agency.
Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary in a bipartisan vote. This is part of the ongoing process of filling out Trump’s cabinet. Stay tuned for further updates on these developments.
Source:Read More