美国国家公共电台 NPR Tariff Waivers Let U.S. Government Pick Winners And Losers

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The Trump¹ administration is preparing to add tariffs³ or taxes on virtually everything the U.S. buys from China, but the president offered reassurance⁴ that in some cases waivers will be granted so Chinese goods can be imported tax-free. The administration has offered similar waivers from its steel and aluminum⁵ tariffs. Some say it's put the Commerce Department in the awkward position of picking winners and losers. Republican Congresswoman Jackie Walorski calls the process a, quote, "master class in government inefficiency⁶." NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE⁷: The Trump administration's gotten more than 80,000 requests for relief from its steel and aluminum tariffs imposed last year. And as of last week, well over half those requests were still awaiting a decision. The process has been maddeningly inconsistent for the companies seeking tariff² waivers.

PAUL EVERETT: It is a nightmare, like dealing⁸ with a lawyer and the IRS at the same time.

HORSLEY: Paul Everett's vice⁹ president of purchasing at Omega Steel in St. Louis. The company sells heavy-walled steel pipe mostly to the oil and gas industry. Everett says there are only a handful of mills around the world that can produce that kind of pipe, so Omega has asked the Commerce Department for tariff waivers for numerous specialty¹⁰ products.

EVERETT: We filed approximately 300 exclusions¹¹, and we've got, I think, 90 accepted.

HORSLEY: Most of the company's applications for tariff relief are either still in limbo¹² or were rejected usually because an American steel company said they could provide the same steel duty-free.

SCOTT PAUL: The good news from the steel producers' perspective is that the tariffs so far are working.

HORSLEY: Scott Paul represents American steelmakers and steel workers. He says since the tariffs were announced last year, steel imports dropped by a third as customers switched to domestic suppliers.

PAUL: There have been about 12,000 jobs added in steel and aluminum since the tariffs were first announced, and you've seen more product lines come online.

HORSLEY: American steelmakers are only supposed to object to a customer's application for tariff relief if the domestic producer can supply the steel within eight weeks. But in their objections, some U.S. steelmakers have been quoting delivery dates of 21 weeks. And Everett says others have promised products they can't deliver at all.

EVERETT: Some of the mills just can't produce the sizes they say they can and have not ever produced those sizes. But unfortunately nobody's really checking the mills to make sure they're capable of producing the product.

HORSLEY: Domestic steelmakers have successfully blocked thousands of tariff waivers with more than half the objections coming from just a handful of big steel producers. Trade economist¹³ Christine McDaniel of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University says U.S. Steel, Nucor and AK Steel have each raised objections to duty-free imports totaling more than the companies actually produce.

CHRISTINE MCDANIEL: They have a very good batting average because when they object to something, it either gets denied, or it just goes into the pending¹⁴ pile.

HORSLEY: Everett says since the government's granted only a few of Omega's requests for tariff waivers, the company's had no choice but to keep paying the 25% tariff. Some steel importers have to absorb that extra cost. But Omega largely passes the bill along to its oil and gas customers.

EVERETT: Nobody wants to pay the additional 25%. The only people that have that kind of money are really in the oil and gas business, and it's a pass-through for them because you're paying for it at the pump.

HORSLEY: That consumer tab is likely to increase as new and increased tariffs on Chinese imports take effect. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

3 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

4 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

5 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

6 inefficiency   

n.无效率，无能；无效率事例

参考例句：

• Conflict between management and workers makes for inefficiency in the workplace. 资方与工人之间的冲突使得工厂生产效率很低。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This type of inefficiency arises because workers and management are ill-equipped. 出现此种低效率是因为工人与管理层都能力不足。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

11 exclusions   

n.不包括的项目：如接受服务项目是由投保以前已患有的疾病或伤害引致的，保险公司有权拒绝支付。；拒绝( exclusion的名词复数 )；排除；被排斥在外的人（或事物）；排外主义

参考例句：

• This is a trifle compared with the important exclusions. 比之其它重要的排除，这只是一件小事。 来自辞典例句
• For detailed exclusions, please refer to each policy's terms and conditions. 具体的免赔责任请详见条款。 来自互联网

12 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

13 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

14 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。