South Carolina

The Post and Courier: South Carolina automakers, others say tariffs hurting business, consumers

South Carolina’s automakers are sounding the horn again that tariffs will lead to production shifts and financial losses if a trade dispute between the United States and China isn’t resolved soon.

They’re among the strongest statements yet in a trade war that threatens billions of dollars worth of Palmetto State products exported each year to China.

So why is the Port of Charleston reporting record containerized cargo levels?

Read the full story here.

McClatchy: Trump’s tariffs will make recovery from Hurricane Florence more expensive

North Carolina, South Carolina

The tariffs President Trump has slapped on imports from foreign countries — including duties on $200 billion of Chinese goods announced Monday — are almost certain to raise costs on homeowners in the Carolinas hoping to rebuild and refurnish after Hurricane Florence.

While prices naturally rise after a natural disaster, given the spike in demand for building materials, Trump’s trade war has already boosted costs for imported plywood and lumber, which jumped 30 percent in the six months after the Trump administration announced tariffs on Canadian softwood timber in December.

In addition, Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports have boosted prices for furniture, washing machines and other appliances, and the president late Monday announced an additional 10 percent tariffs on a range of Chinese exports, which could increase to 25 percent by the end of the year.

Read the full story here.

WCBD-CHS: “It’s just been devastating for us and something that we’re kind of trying to trudge through right now.”

South Carolina

Las Vegas Sun: Casualties of Trump’s trade war have been American businesses

Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington

On Aug. 5, Donald Trump took to Twitter to announce that his tariffs were “working big time.”

Try telling that to the folks at Element Electronics, a South Carolina company that assembles televisions.

One day after Trump’s tweeted chest-thump, Element announced it was closing its plant in Winnsboro, S.C., and laying off most of its workers — 126 people.

Read the full story here.

WITI: “A company in South Carolina says it’s laying off almost all of its 126 workers because of the tariffs.”

South Carolina

NBC: “Meanwhile, the trade war is having an immediate impact here at home.The South Carolina TV plant says it will cut 126 jobs and possibly shut down completely.”

South Carolina

Washington Examiner: Trump tariffs force layoffs at South Carolina electronics firm

South Carolina

A South Carolina consumer electronics manufacturer is closing a plant with 126 employees as the Trump administration’s trade policies force companies to compensate for higher supply costs.

Winnsboro, S.C.-based Element Electronics attributed its move to President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, imposed earlier this year, according to The State newspaper. The company couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

The White House has imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods so far and is considering levies of the same amount on another $200 billion in products, up from a previously announced 10 percent. China, in response, is considering duties on an additional $60 billion in U.S. goods.

Read the full story here.