Thread: Mexico Slaps Tariffs on U.S. Goods in Truck Feud

Mexico slaps tariffs on U.S. goods in truck feud
By Adriana Barrera and Doug Palmer, Adriana Barrera And Doug Palmer, – 1 hr 25 mins ago

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Mexico slapped tariffs on 90 American agricultural and manufactured exports on Monday in retaliation for Washington's move to block Mexican trucks from using U.S. highways.

Mexican Economy Minister Gerardo Ruiz said about $2.4 billion worth of exports from 40 U.S. states would be affected and that his government would soon publish a list of them.

Last week, the U.S. Congress canceled funding for a test program begun by the Bush administration that allowed Mexican long-haul trucks to circulate in the United States in compliance with the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"We consider this action by the United States to be mistaken, protectionist and clearly in violation of (NAFTA)," Ruiz told reporters in Mexico City.

President Barack Obama's administration, facing its first dispute with a major trading partner and neighbor, promptly said it would work to create a new cross-border, long-distance trucking program between the two countries.

"The president has tasked the Department of Transportation to work with the U.S. trade representative and the Department of State, along with leaders in Congress and Mexican officials to propose legislation creating a new trucking project that will meet the legitimate concerns of Congress and our NAFTA commitments," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

It was not immediately clear which exports would be hit.

But a spokesman for the Mexican economy ministry said the new tariffs would not affect rice, corn, beans or wheat, which are the main U.S. farm products exported to Mexico and make up much of the average Mexican's diet.

"It won't be any of these products because Mexicans are sensitive to them," the spokesman told Reuters.

The United States agreed to allow Mexican trucks to start using U.S. highways by 1995 when it signed the NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico three years earlier.

But Mexican trucks were confined to border zones where they had to offload goods to be carried by U.S. companies. In 2007, the U.S. government launched a pilot program that allowed a limited number of them full access to U.S. roads, while American trucks were also allowed to operate in Mexico.

U.S. organized labor, led by the largest trucking union, the Teamsters, along with highway safety and consumer groups fiercely opposed the initiative, a pet project of former President George W. Bush.

A provision depriving the program of funding was added to a $410 billion spending bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress last week.

Backers of the truck program, including former presidential candidate and Arizona senator John McCain, lamented the Mexican decision but said it was expected.

"Unfortunately, this is a predictable reaction by the Mexican government to a policy that now puts the United States in clear violation of NAFTA and was inappropriately inserted into the Omnibus appropriations bill," McCain said.

"We must take steps to prevent escalation of further protectionist measures -- actions that only serve to harm American business during these tough economic times," he said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office said they could not confirm which U.S. farm or manufacturing products would be hit with increased duties. Major U.S. commodity groups also said they were awaiting details.

The impact of higher Mexican tariffs on U.S. exports of farm products to Mexico would be "huge," said Bill Biedermann, an analyst with brokerage firm Allendale Inc.

"The market would take a very negative tone, and it could throw us right back into that bearish period of a few days ago," Biedermann said, adding that he believed Mexico was only positioning itself to negotiate with the United States.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington, Noel Randewich in Mexico City, and K.T. Arasu and Karl Plume in Chicago, Writing by Anthony Boadle, Editing by Paul Simao)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090316/pl_ ... _usa_trade

Here's an idea. Mexico can keep and consume its own products and we can do the same. End of story. I don't buy anything made in mexico.

Mexican Economy Minister Gerardo Ruiz said about $2.4 billion worth of exports from 40 U.S. states would be affected and that his government would soon publish a list of them.

Fine! Deduct it from what you owe us for supporting 12-20 million of your illegal invaders currently squatting in our country, whereby they send BILLIONS of dollars back to your toilet bowl of a country in the way of remittances!!!!

Originally Posted by miguelina

Here's an idea. Mexico can keep and consume its own products and we can do the same. End of story. I don't buy anything made in mexico.

Even better!

added to the homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article4044.html

I say that we send their unsafe clunker trucks with their illegal aliens, drugs, and contraband on board back! Send the illegals back! And send their gang bangers back! Send the drugs back!

If they continue to refuse to respect our borders, then we will just have to extend our southern border southward till they get the message.

W

Theey don't even mention that it's unsafe for our truckers to cross into their country at this point in the drug violence. So, the only one who wins in this deal is Mexico.

Originally Posted by tinybobidaho

Theey don't even mention that it's unsafe for our truckers to cross into their country at this point in the drug violence. So, the only one who wins in this deal is Mexico.

We need to pull every single job we ever sent to these ba$tards back across the border, send back their criminals, third world rapists, gang bangers...in other words, every single illegal alien and their offspring back to them, close the borders and militarize them. Let 'em sink or swim without US to hold their stinking heads above water for the rest of eternity.

Obama needs to be a man, be a leader of the greatest nation on the planet and tell them to suck sand!! Why is he knuckling under to these peons??? We don't need them!! Not for a minute. We never have. It's those parasites who need us!!

We should now charge tariffs on their exports to the United States! I support tariffs, because I totally 100% support protectionism. It's a long-standing platform policy of the Republican Party along with secure borders, controlling immigration and improving wages and working conditions for the American People.

In fact, we should charge Mexico a tariff on every single illegal alien they export to the United States.

McCain, you need to resign from the Senate and go hang out at US Chamber of Commerce meetings where you belong. I'm really sorry you were the only Republican on the November ballot, and as a Republican I had to vote for you, but I didn't like it one darn bit and you're just proving why.

Woooooooo Hoooooooooo now shut that border down 1000 Percent ... there is NO reason (NONE) to trade with maniac 7th graders in an out of control country whose leading export to the US is DRUGS... TON's and Tons of DRUG's... it's long past time too find new trading partners

I'll say it again WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

Now in saying all that what you are going to see out of DC is OH NO the World is Ending.. Wo is me... Wo is the World... we are losing a valued Trading partner ... We have upset the balance and the Mexicans are punishing us

Crack Heads... this country is lead by Crack Heads

I'll say it again... put me in Charge.. I will shut that border down tighter than a Gnats backside and the problems with Mexico will end