Alabama’s commerce secretary says the current rhetoric about tariffs and trade barriers from the White House are hurting investments in Alabama.
Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield recently said an in interview with Bloomberg that state officials aren’t planning to fight President Trump on the issue, but they are urging a “more measured approach” on trade.
Canfield says the state has already seen timelines slip on a couple of large projects, and the longer these trade disputes drag out, the more possible it is that they threaten jobs in Alabama.
Current reports indicate the White House is mulling a 20 to 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles and car parts amid an investigation as to whether they pose a threat to national security. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey says the state could lose around 4,000 jobs as a result of those tariffs.
Alabama is currently the third-largest state for auto exports in the U.S.