VOA慢速英语--特朗普不支持关税计划

Trump¹ Is 'Not Backing Down' on Tariffs³ Plan

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “not backing down” on his plan to raise taxes, known as tariffs, on imported steel and aluminum⁴.

However, members of his Republican Party and leaders around the world are warning the taxes are not a good idea.

The president has said products from Canada and Mexico, two of the largest steel exporters to the U.S., would face the tax just like all other countries.

But he suggested that he might be willing to exempt⁵ the two countries if they agreed to different terms for the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

“No, we’re not backing down,” Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ve had a very bad deal with Mexico, we’ve had a very bad deal with Canada — it’s called NAFTA,” Trump said.

Trump made his comments after a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Republican leader was “extremely worried” about a trade war. She added that Ryan urged the president “to not advance with this plan.”

The Trump administration says the tariffs are necessary to support American industries that are important to national security.

But the president’s comments and messages on Twitter have suggested that he is seeking to influence talks on NAFTA. The latest round of a nearly yearlong renegotiation effort is coming to an end this week in Mexico City.

Trump tweeted, “Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum will only come off if new & fair NAFTA agreement is signed. Also, Canada must treat our farmers much better. Highly restrictive. Mexico must do much more on stopping drugs from pouring into the U.S.”

Reactions to tariffs plan

Trump’s announcement last week that he would place tariffs on steel and aluminum imports unsettled the stock markets and angered allies.

The U.S. military has asked for targeted tariffs on metal imports from countries like China. It warned that tariffs on all countries would hurt national security partnerships⁶ with some countries.

But other officials supported a tariff² without exceptions. Speaking on a Fox news program, White House trade adviser⁷ Peter Navarro said: “25 percent on steel, and the 10 percent on aluminum, no country exclusions⁸ — firm line in the sand.”

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said the sweeping⁹ action would let China “off the hook.” He also said it would divide the U.S. and its allies.

Jean-Claude Juncker is president of the European Commission. He said the European Union could answer by taxing American goods including whiskey, blue jeans, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Trump replied by threatened to tax European cars if the EU raises tariffs on American products. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross called threats from American allies “pretty trivial” and not much more than a “rounding error.”

Douglas Irwin is a Dartmouth College economist¹⁰. He recently published the book “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy.”

He told the Associated Press, “Usually, all sides lose in a trade war. Trade shrinks as countries pile on barriers in an effort to remedy some grievance¹¹, with consumers paying the price.”

Trump administration officials said Monday that the tariffs will be made official in the next two weeks.

Words in This Story

tariffs –n. taxes on good coming into or leaving a country

exempt –v. to say that one person or group does not have to do something that all others have to do

advance –v. to carry forward

exceptions –n. cases where the rule does not apply

exclusions –n. cases not included along with the others

sweeping –adj. something broad or general, not applying to only a few

trivial –adj. of little importance

pile –v. to continue to add things making a pile

grievance –n. statements of dissatisfaction with a situation or process

consumers –n. people who buy goods and services

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 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。

5 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 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

9 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

10 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。

11 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。