Mike Rogers applauds Trump deal that gives Japanese automakers preferential treatment despite fierce opposition from UAW and Michigan automakers
LANSING — In case you missed it, failed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers is once again rubber stamping Donald Trump’s reckless agenda – this time supporting a trade deal with Japan that puts Michigan’s auto industry and workers at a severe disadvantage.
While Trump’s trade agreement gives Japanese automakers preferential treatment with a 15% tariff rate, American automakers still face crushing 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum and 25% tariffs on auto parts. Meanwhile, Mike Rogers applauded Trump selling out American autoworkers, posting on social media: “This is what America First looks like. New markets opened to American manufacturers and farmers. Well done!”
The deal has sparked fierce criticism from Michigan automakers and industry leaders:
- The UAW slammed the agreement, saying they were “deeply angered” by the deal. “A better deal would have held Japanese automakers to the same standards U.S. workers have fought for at GM, Ford, and Stellantis,” the union said. “We need trade deals that raise standards – not reward the race to the bottom. This deal does the opposite.”
- The American Automotive Policy Council, representing General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, called the agreement “a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers.” AAPC President Matt Blunt said U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” while Japanese automakers receive preferential treatment.
“Mike Rogers’ endorsement of this reckless trade deal proves once again that he’ll rubber stamp whatever Donald Trump wants – even when it hurts Michigan autoworkers and our manufacturing economy,” said Joey Hannum, senior communications advisor at the Michigan Democratic Party. “Rogers has made it clear he’ll prioritize Trump’s failed agenda over the workers and families he claims to represent, showing Michiganders exactly why he’s wrong for the Senate.”
Detroit News: Trump’s Japan deal raises concerns from Detroit Three, UAW. Here’s why
- President Donald Trump’s trade deal with Japan is causing domestic automakers and the United Auto Workers to raise concerns about facing a competitive disadvantage against their foreign-owned rivals.
- Michigan automakers spoke out against the deal quickly after it was announced, and the union strongly condemned it Wednesday night after the automotive rate was confirmed.
- “The UAW is deeply angered by the Trump administration’s announced trade deal with Japan. What we’ve seen so far makes one thing clear: American workers are once again being left behind,” the union said in a long social media post on the topic.
- “For decades, Japanese automakers have exploited open access to the U.S. market while failing to do right by American workers. Now, instead of addressing the problem, this deal gives them another break — at the expense of the very companies and workers that built the American auto industry into the global standard for good jobs and world-class products,” the union said.
Detroit Free Press: Detroit 3 automakers raise concerns about Japan trade deal
- A group representing General Motors, Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis on Tuesday, July 22, raised concerns about a trade deal that could cut tariffs on auto imports from Japan to 15% while leaving tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico at 25%.
- Matt Blunt, who heads the American Automotive Policy Council that represents the Detroit Three automakers, said July 22 they were still reviewing the agreement but “any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers.”
CNN: Detroit automakers object to Trump’s trade agreement with Japan
- “American automakers still need to review the details of the US-Japan agreement, but any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers,” said Matt Blunt, president of The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (parent of Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands).”
Bloomberg: Trump’s Japan Trade Deal Raises Fears He Gave Away Too Much
- US industries and protectionists are raising alarms with President Donald Trump’s pact with Japan, saying it risks undercutting his stated goals of rebalancing America’s trading relationships and reviving domestic manufacturing.
- “Unlimited imports at tariff rates below existing Section 232 rates critically undermine” the intention of the law and could actually encourage offshoring, said Jon Toomey, executive director of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, an advocacy group representing import-threatened industries that supports tighter trade controls.
- “It doesn’t make sense to allow for unlimited vehicle imports at 15%, while charging rates of 25% on auto parts and 50% on steel,” Toomey added.
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