精东影业

How Tariffs Can Be a Good Idea for People and the Planet


Donald Trump is moving full steam ahead on his campaign promise of slapping tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. According to a recent report in , Trump鈥檚 decision has 鈥渟pooked investors, with fears of an economic downturn driving a stock market sell-off that has wiped out $4 trillion from the S&P 500鈥檚 peak last month, when Wall Street was cheering much of Trump鈥檚 agenda.鈥 

But, while liberal critics are blaming Trump for upending the economy, some on the left are reminding us that鈥攊f done correctly鈥攖ariffs can be a force for good. In a recent op-ed for , Hillary Haden, former executive director of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition and the current organizing director at the , makes the case for the benefit of enacting tariffs.

鈥淭ariffs can serve as a powerful tool for upholding internationally agreed-upon labor and human rights standards, ensuring that trade benefits workers both in the U.S. and globally, rather than enabling corporations to exploit labor across borders,鈥 Haden writes. 鈥淭hey can also help prevent companies from flooding markets with cheap goods to eliminate competition and drive monopolization, and they can support 鈥榖uy local鈥 and 鈥榖uy American鈥 initiatives.鈥

She spoke with 精东影业 Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 精东影业 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the need to develop a progressive approach to tariffs.