On a voice vote and with little fanfare the House passed legislation Tuesday that would roll back tariffs on an estimated 1,660 products from China, mostly chemicals. The legislation, dubbed the Miscellaneous Tariffs Act, previously passed the Senate last month and now heads to the White House, which has not taken a public position on it.
The bill’s supporters argue that the tariffs are outdated and protect few products made domestically and therefore drove up costs for the manufacturers that need them. A Reuters analysis said that the tariffs included just 145 items made in the U.S.
“Requiring manufacturers to pay tariffs on products that simply aren’t made here runs up their manufacturing costs and puts them at a competitive disadvantage,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The legislation has broad bipartisan support. Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., co-sponsored it. “I will always support American manufacturers and anything they helps make them competitive,” he said, though he did note that the countries having their tariffs lifted were not reciprocating with similar actions.
Business groups praised it. The American Chemistry Council said the tariffs “unnecessarily raise the costs of those inputs, deter innovation and economic growth, and ultimately weaken our country’s competitive advantage. Eliminating tariffs just makes good economic sense.”
The legislation now goes to president’s desk to be signed, but it is unclear what President Trump will do. The administration has not opposed the bill but has aggressively used new tariffs or the threats of them to as part of its trade policies and therefore may not be keen to remove existing ones. A White House spokesman could not be reached for comment.
