The August 2025 inflation report has reignited debate over tariffs. Some pundits have been quick to blame trade policy for rising prices, invoking Smoot-Hawley comparisons and warning of disaster on the scale of the Great Depression. But the data tells a different story.
The latest Section 232 announcements expand the list of ongoing investigations into imported goods that could be exposed to higher tariffs.
As proof that no company can match China on price, Chinese producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and the key starting materials (KSMs) used to make them are slashing prices by up to 50%. Not even low-cost India – one of the largest importers of Chinese KSMs – can compete at those levels.
Data centers powering AI need copper wiring and transformers. EVs use nearly four times more copper than gas-powered cars. Wind turbines, solar farms and the modern electric grid all depend on it. As such, copper is a building block of tomorrow’s economy and the backbone of America’s national security.
For the second time in less than two months, the CEO of a publicly traded company admitted that tariff cost burdens will not be passed down fully, if at all, to consumers. With one CEO saying tariffs were too low.
The trade deficit rose 32.5% in July and imports were up 5.9%, but much of this can be attributed to importers bulking up on orders as the full brunt of the “Liberation Day” tariffs were set to start in August.
Findings Indicate that Copper Products Remain Essential to U.S. Economy and National Security as Trump Administration Seeks to Protect and Enhance Industry
CPA welcomes the launch of a cross-agency Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security Trade Fraud Task Force, aimed at bringing robust enforcement against importers and other parties who seek to defraud the United States.
The closure of the de minimis loophole – which went into effect at midnight – stops the descent into eCommerce lawlessness characterized by the rise in platforms like Temu and Shein, and the fact that judgment-proof overseas retailers now make up the majority of vendors on Amazon’s U.S. store.
Ruling Clears the Way for Retroactive Tariffs on Billions in Illegally Imported Chinese Solar Equipment
