Tariffs ‘insult to people of Australia’: US congressman

Democrat Joe Courtney tells the House of Representatives every justification used by Donald Trump for the extra imposts on steel and aluminium failed in relation to Australia.

Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs have been branded inside the US Congress as a “completely needless … insult” to the people of Australia given Canberra’s long standing support of America and commitment to upholding security in the Indo Pacific.

Democratic co-chair of the Congressional AUKUS Working Group, Joe Courtney, hit out at the proposed 25 per cent tariffs in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives – making clear that every justification used by Donald Trump for the extra imposts on steel and aluminium failed in relation to Australia.

“The US economy has a trade surplus with Australia. We export more into Australia than they export back to us,” he said. “They have been a signatory with a free-trade agreement (with America) with no tariffs.

“Our alliance between our two countries, going back to World War One, is probably the most deep and strong of any other nation in the world.”

Dr Kevin Rudd with Congressman Joe Courtney. Picture: X

Mr Courtney also noted that Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles had last week visited Washington and made the first payment on the AUKUS submarine deal by committing $500m “into the US industrial base to help our ship building sector to build more submarines.”

He said this was the first instalment of a total commitment of $3bn again, stressing that “the first check was delivered on Friday by the Australian government.”

“Two days later what do we see? Now a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium products coming from Australia into the US at a time when we have a surplus with Australia,” he said. “Australia is a key strategic ally for our country. They are positioned in the Indo Pacific at a place where, again, tensions are sky high.”

“We need their input, their help in terms of making sure that we are going to rebalance that security environment and protect the rule of law in the Indo Pacific,” Mr Courtney said. “Instead, what we’re seeing is a completely needless, almost insult to the people of Australia by raising tariffs on Australian products coming into this country at the same time, we are working with them, and they are buying three nuclear submarines.”

Mr Courtney said that “by all the measurements that President Trump talks about trade issues – that we’re being ripped off by other countries – in this case, every, every one of those arguments fails.”

“We will do everything we can to make sure that this administration changes course and treats our friends and our allies with the respect that they deserve.”