Articles by Bill Tomson

The USDA is now confirming what most already know: The Chinese tariffs on U.S. soybeans are taking a toll on U.S. exports.

President Donald Trump is following through with promises to hit China with new tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced today, escalating a trade war that is already hurting the U.S. agriculture sector.

Chinese importers have already stopped buying U.S. wheat, soybean purchases are expected to drop even further, and the U.S. ag sector is expecting the financial pain to increase exponentially as long as the Trump administration persists in a trade war with China.

The U.S. and China are set to hit each other with tariffs on $34 billion worth of goods Friday and neither side is showing signs of changing course. That’s particularly concerning for the U.S. ag sector, the target of most of the tariffs China is preparing to levy on the U.S., and it has farm groups and lawmakers bracing for the worst.

Republican and Democratic senators let loose Wednesday with scathing criticism for President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs and tariff threats that are attracting retaliation from around the globe. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross tried to defend the tariffs at a Senate hearing, but most of the lawmakers appeared not to be swayed.

President Donald Trump will not relent in the brewing trade war with China that’s likely to result in even more tariffs and retaliation in the days to come, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said today.