financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Yellen says high US tariff wall 'deeply misguided', would raise prices
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Yellen says high US tariff wall 'deeply misguided', would raise prices
Oct 17, 2024 2:15 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will say on Thursday that walling off the U.S. economy as proposed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would be "deeply misguided," raising prices for American consumers and making U.S. companies less competitive.

Yellen, in excerpts of remarks to be delivered on Thursday afternoon to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said that the U.S. cannot afford to return to past unilateral actions to advance its own economic and national security interests.

Yellen did not name Trump specifically, but referred to his calls for steep tariff hikes. Trump has proposed raising tariffs to 10% to 20% on virtually all U.S. imports, and to at least 60% on imports from China, with specific threats of up to 200% on individual companies such as John Deere if they move some production to Mexico.

Trump on Wednesday called tariffs "the most beautiful word in the world," arguing that they would fuel U.S. manufacturing growth.

"Calls for walling America off with high tariffs on friends and competitors alike or by treating even our closest allies as transactional partners are deeply misguided," Yellen said in the CFR excerpts released by the Treasury. "Sweeping, untargeted tariffs would raise prices for American families and make our businesses less competitive."

A "go it alone" approach to foreign and economic policy - like that pursued when Trump was president - would make it virtually impossible to advance U.S. economic and national security interests today, Yellen said, including pressuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, improving supply chain security or addressing China's aggressive industrial policies.

Yellen emphasized the need to create a healthier economic relationship with China, but argued against cutting ties to Beijing.

"Trade and investment with China can bring significant gains to American firms and workers and must be maintained," Yellen said. "But we also must have a healthy economic relationship based on a level playing field."

Barriers to market access in China and unfair business practices cause challenges for American firms and workers and for foreign businesses looking to operate in China, Yellen said, adding that these policies were fueling excess industrial capacity in critical industries, threatening the viability of American firms and keeping foreign producers dependent on Chinese supply chains.

Yellen also defended President Joe Biden's steep tariff increases on strategic Chinese imports such as electric vehicles, semiconductors and solar cells, adding that U.S. allies are taking and considering similar steps.

"This growing international consensus is a powerful indication to China that it must shift its practices, she said.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
US dollar's dominance secure, BRICS see no progress on de-dollarization -report
US dollar's dominance secure, BRICS see no progress on de-dollarization -report
Jun 25, 2024
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar remains the world's primary reserve currency, and neither the euro nor the so-called BRICS countries have been able to reduce global reliance on the dollar, a new study by the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center shows. The group's Dollar Dominance Monitor said the dollar continued to dominate foreign reserve holdings, trade invoicing,...
Janet Yellen Says 'Inflation To Come Down' To 'Fed's 2% Target' By 2025, Dismisses Possibility Of US Recession
Janet Yellen Says 'Inflation To Come Down' To 'Fed's 2% Target' By 2025, Dismisses Possibility Of US Recession
Jun 24, 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressed confidence in the American economy, dismissing the possibility of a recession and predicting that inflation will reach the Federal Reserve’s 2% target by next year. What Happened: Yellen, in an interview on Monday, stated that she does not see any signs of a U.S. recession. She also expects the Federal Reserve to achieve its...
Rising US labor costs threaten to derail new LNG projects
Rising US labor costs threaten to derail new LNG projects
Jun 24, 2024
HOUSTON(Reuters) - A shortage of skilled labor and nagging inflation from strong wage growth on the U.S. Gulf Coast are pressuring liquefied natural gas (LNG) developers and delaying some projects from reaching a financial go-ahead. There are five LNG plants under development in Texas and Louisiana and 16 others on the drawing board in the U.S. looking to secure investment...
Larry Summers Slams Fed's 'Excessive Optimism' On Inflation And Underestimation Of Long-Term Interest Rates, Says The Central Bank 'Is Badly Wrong…'
Larry Summers Slams Fed's 'Excessive Optimism' On Inflation And Underestimation Of Long-Term Interest Rates, Says The Central Bank 'Is Badly Wrong…'
Jun 25, 2024
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has criticized the Federal Reserve’s optimistic stance on inflation, warning that the central bank is underestimating the long-term interest rates necessary to curb inflation. What Happened: Summers, speaking at an event organized by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on Monday, dismissed the recent data indicating a slowdown in inflation as a temporary...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved