Even as President Trump's new steel and aluminum tariffs dominate the headlines, Congress is quietly moving to temporarily reduce or remove tariffs on 1,662 different products, Reuters reports. The miscellaneous tariff bill, as it is known, unanimously passed the House of Representatives in January, and aims to reduce prices for American consumers and companies on everything from chew toys to camera accessories to certain chemicals.
The tariffs reduced or axed in the bill were originally implemented to protect American industries that supporters say no longer exist domestically. "Why in the world would we put a tariff on a product that's not made in the U.S.?" argued lobbyist Ron Sorini. "It's kind of crazy." A small group of critics, though, argue that removing the tariffs could potentially hurt industries that do in fact still exist, but perhaps do not have the means to defend themselves in Washington. A Reuters assessment found that the bill "includes 145 items that are made domestically."
Supporters of the tariff reductions argue it was on companies and manufacturers to keep up with legislation, and to defend themselves in Washington if they were threatened. "If somebody doesn't know about something, that's a shame, but that might mean that they didn't take steps to stay informed," the executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, Stephen Lamar, told Reuters.