U.S. Democratic Congressman Richard Neal has pledged to work on eliminating the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, calling them "unjustified," while criticizing trade deals made behind closed doors, emphasizing the need for a more transparent trade policy.
Neal, who is expected to regain the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax and trade issues, stated that the trade policies implemented by the Trump administration contributed to increasing the cost of living and aggravated economic inequality between workers and wealthier Americans.
In a speech delivered at a trade conference hosted by former U.S. Trade Representative in the Biden Administration, Katherine Tai, he noted that Trump’s trade policies were characterized by chaos and intent, stressing his commitment to abolishing the tariffs he described as unjustified and working towards adopting a trade approach based on good governance, transparency, and benefits for working families.
Neal pointed out that his priorities include maintaining Mexico and Canada’s membership in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, indicating that the agreement’s six-year periodic review clause provides an opportunity for improvements.
These moves come after the gains made by Democrats in the midterm elections, which strengthened their chances of influencing economic and trade policies within Congress and opened the door for efforts to amend certain legislations related to tariffs.
On the other hand, any attempt to eliminate the tariffs imposed by Trump faces the likelihood of the president using his veto power, which would require Democrats to obtain broad Republican support to override this action and pass legislative changes.