With price-rise in basic commodities pinching pockets of US consumers, President Donald Trump has been forced to remove tariffs from products such as beef, coffee, and tropical fruits.
He signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities in response to pressure from consumers who have begun complaining that prices are too high, especially of beef, rates of which have been record-high of late.
The move comes after voters in off-year elections earlier this month cited economic concerns and inflation as their top issues, resulting in big wins for Democrats in races in Virginia and New Jersey.
While Trump had suggested earlier this week that he intends to lower tariffs on coffee to help increase its imports, the president signed an executive order to remove the tariffs after announcing that the US had reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina, designed to ease import duties on agricultural products from those countries.
The order also removes tariffs on tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and certain fertilizers, some of which are not produced in the US.
Trump has slapped tariffs on most countries since April this year, insisting that it will help decrease the US’ fiscal deficit, and assuring that the tariffs won’t increase consumer prices, despite economic evidence to the contrary.
The US administration’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have been a big factor in raising prices of beef in the US.
