President Donald Trump has expanded his tariffs to include new 25 percent tariffs on all trucks and cars and automobile parts being imported into the U.S. in a March 26 proclamation, citing national security concerns with outsourced automobile production, stating, “automobiles and certain automobile parts are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.”
Trump cited a February 2019 report by then-Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross that highlighted defense production interests being upheld by a strong U.S. auto industry, stating, “Many of the most important innovations and technological advancements over the past 100 years have come from the automotive sector, and the strength of this sector drives technological advancements in the defense sector. Today, the defense sector is heavily interconnected and reliant on the automotive industry for R&D to meet current and future military requirements such as vehicle electrification, autonomous driving, hydrogen fuel cell products, advanced semiconductor utilization, radar, laser and sonar ranging, global positioning system (‘GPS’) navigation, anti-lock brakes, reduction in vehicle weight (‘lightweighting’), and fuel efficiency efforts. Product development in partnership between U.S. automotive manufacturers and defense agencies results in technological advancements in military aircraft, space aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, missiles, and submarines.”
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