Trump's obligations spur industry campaign to defuse trade war

Professional associations representing farmers, retailers and manufacturers as well as other industries join forces to launch a new multi-million dollar campaign against President Donald Trump's tariffs during the United States' last attempt at stop a growing trade war.

Groups that have been campaigning for months to persuade the president that tariffs are the wrong approach have been largely ignored, as Trump has imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of steel imports to Chinese products. But a new coalition called Americans for Free Trade joins Farmers for Free Trade, which seeks to change direction in Washington by highlighting stories of businesses, consumers and farmers in the center of the country negatively affected by these obligations.

The groups announced Wednesday the coalition with a jointly funded campaign of more than $ 3 million, involving town hall events in major congressional neighborhoods before the mid-term elections, digital advertising and other contacts with Congress and the administration. More than 80 coalition members have signed a letter to all members of Congress demanding their support in the fight against homework and the oversight of trade policy issues.

The idea is to amplify the stories of small businesses, consumers and industries affected by homework to show the administration that the short-term economic difficulties of the United States and the retaliation of others countries are not worth it. using tariffs as leverage, coalition members said.

"The political calculation could lead the administration to think that this is a winning hand," said Dean Garfield, chief executive of the Council for Computing and Technology, whose members include Apple, Google and Microsoft. in the field, the administration can then recalibrate. & # 39; & # 39;

US business groups have tried to oppose tariffs, including posting ads on "Fox and Friends" that Trump is known for, but they have not deterred the president from imposing duties on metal imports . and $ 50 billion of Chinese products to date the Administration has a list of $ 200 billion of additional products targeted for duties that could be imposed at any time, and Trump has threatened to touch virtually all products from China.

Trump recognized the impact of tariffs – especially retaliatory rights on soybeans and other US agricultural products – by providing $ 12 billion in assistance to farmers, a key element of its political base that has helped to carry his business in 2016.

The new campaign will show the damage to tariffs in the US economy and the "real economic consequences for US families," said Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, a non-profit organization supported by major groups farm.

The group joins the new coalition, which formalizes an ad hoc group of organizations and companies that the National Retail Federation has helped lead. It includes other major professional associations such as the Consumer Technology Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the American Association of Clothing and Footwear, the United States of America. Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Toy Association and the National Fisheries Institute.

Launch events are slated to start next week in Chicago, Nashville, Pennsylvania and Ohio, with other events before mid-term "in key communities across the country," the groups said.

"Our current motto is" Try it all, "said Nicole Vasilaros, Senior Vice President of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, a member of the coalition.

The groups, which call the campaign the largest bipartisan advocacy effort against homework, illustrate how much the impact of the trade war will be felt, said David French, vice president of government relations at the National Retail Federation.

"It really shows that it's all the American economy that's at stake here," French said.

The groups plan to highlight the fate of companies such as Chicago-based Cedar Electronics, which invented CB radio under the Cobra brand, and provides radar detection systems and other automotive and consumer electronics products with around 190 employees.

Chris Cowger, President and CEO of the company, said the company would not have brought some of its manufacturing jobs from the Philippines to its facility in West Chester, Ohio.

Cowger said the company had no choice but to pass on the higher costs to consumers' rights and was forced to spend time, energy and money on price disruption instead to develop new products.

"I am more than frustrated," said Cowger. "I should spend my time making this company great."

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said Trump can only change course on trade if the market goes down or the economy goes down, but the coalition will argue that rights are bad for the economy. .

"I will not lie to you and say that we are 100% convinced that this is going to be a success," said Shapiro. "We do what we can do, we all do what the new one can do."