Several Democrats in the U.S. Senate are signaling opposition to a rule from President Joe Biden’s administration that temporarily lifts tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels.
In September, Biden’s Department of Commerce submitted a
rule to drop tariffs on solar panels completed in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam using parts and components manufactured in China. The tariff waiver was set to last until June 2024 or until Biden rescinds a related emergency proclamation over struggles to “provide sufficient electricity generation to serve expected customer demand” in the United States.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced a resolution of disapproval in February to overturn the Commerce Department’s solar panel tariff waiver.
While Republicans initially introduced the disapproval resolution, several Democratic lawmakers supported the measure. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) signed on as a co-sponsor of the resolution on Wednesday.
“The United States relies on foreign nations, like China, for far too many of our energy needs, and failing to enforce our existing trade laws undermines the goals of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to onshore our energy supply chains, including solar,” Manchin said in a
press statement. “I cannot fathom why the Administration and Congress would consider extending that reliance any longer and am proud to join this CRA to rescind the rule.”
This week, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also
announced his support for the Republican-led disapproval resolution. Brown argued that by exempting solar panels built in the four Southeast Asian countries, China could circumvent U.S. trade regulations by routing them through those four exempted countries.
“I’ve fought my whole career to stand up for Ohio manufacturers and Ohio workers when they’re forced to compete with cheap, unfairly subsidized imports—I’m not going to stop now,“ Brown said. ”The Chinese government will do anything to undermine American manufacturing and would like nothing more than to kill the American solar manufacturing industry before it takes off.”
Addressing his decision to break with his fellow Democrats, Brown said Biden “got this one wrong.”
“I’ve always stood up to presidents of both parties to fight for fair trade and a level playing field for Ohio workers,” Brown added.
The Washinton Post
reported Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has also said he would vote for the disapproval resolution to support “red, white, and blue manufacturing jobs.” The Washington Post reported that Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) shared support for the disapproval resolution, saying, “China’s got to be held accountable.”
A fifth Democratic Senator, Montana’s John Tester, is reportedly weighing whether or not to oppose the Biden administration’s tariff waiver and back the Republican-led disapproval resolution. A spokesperson for Tester told Fox News he is still reviewing the issue.
House Dems Also Opposing Tariff Waiver
House and Senate lawmakers are moving forward with resolutions to overturn the Biden administration’s rulemaking.The House
version of the disapproval resolution has also attracted bipartisan support. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) were three of the six original cosponsors of the House bill. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Christopher Deluzio (D-Pa.) signed on as co-sponsors.
“At the end of the day, this resolution is about enforcement of our trade laws,” Sewell said in a House Ways and Means Committee
hearing last week.
At that House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) indicated some disagreement with the Biden administration’s tariff plan but opposed the resolution to overturn the policy.
“While the administration’s emergency order is not perfect, it is a short-term intervention that gives solar projects in the pipeline a needed bridge,” Chu said.
Biden Threatens Veto
On Monday, Biden indicated he would veto resolutions targeting his administration’s tariff waiver plan.While there may be enough bipartisan support to overturn the Biden administration policy, it would take a two-thirds majority to override a Biden veto.
