US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order exempting a wide range of food imports, including beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas, from sweeping tariffs imposed on almost every country earlier this year.
The move means Australian beef – one of Australia’s main exports to the US – will no longer be subject to a 10 percent tariff.
The order is part of a major effort by Trump and his top officials to address Americans’ growing concerns about persistently high grocery prices.
The new exemptions — which take effect retroactively at midnight Thursday — mark a sharp turnaround for Trump, who has long insisted his tariffs do not fuel inflation.
They come after a string of victories for Democrats in state and local elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, where affordability was a major issue.
It said any refunds due would be processed according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection rules and procedures.
Trump has upended the global trading system by imposing base tariffs of 10 percent on imports from every country, plus additional specific duties that vary from state to state.
Friday’s decision followed framework trade agreements announced Thursday that will eliminate tariffs on certain foods and other items imported from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador once those deals are finalized, with U.S. officials looking at additional agreements before the end of the year.
Trump has focused intently on the issue of affordability in recent weeks, insisting that any higher costs were caused by former President Joe Biden’s policies, not his own tariff policies.
Consumers are still frustrated with high food prices, which economists say have been partly fueled by import tariffs and could rise further next year if companies start passing on the bulk of the import duties.
Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, said the Trump administration was “putting out the fire that they started and claimed as progress.”
“The Trump administration is finally publicly admitting what we all knew from the start: Trump’s trade war is raising costs for people,” Neal said in a statement.
“Since these tariffs were introduced, inflation has risen and production has shrunk month after month.”
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