In an effort to respond to Americans’ dissatisfaction with the high cost of living, president Donald Trump announce a tariff cuts on meat bovine, tomato, banana And coffee. The decision is part of a package of measures designed to control food prices, which have become one of the most sensitive political issues ahead of the new election season, in anticipation of a food crisis. midterm exam. The White House assures that the goal is to reduce pressure on families, especially for products that America does not produce in sufficient quantities, such as coffee And banana.
While the administration works to reach a turning point in terms of inflation, another commercial problem continues to rise in Washington: cases Italian Pasta. In recent days some media have talked about an alleged “war on pasta” that could lead to the exit of well-known brands from US supermarkets. made in Italy. The White House firmly rejected this reconstruction and clarified that there was no political initiative against Italy. Instead, he asserted that the issue arose from an independent technical procedure mandated by Congress, administered by the Commerce Department and initiated at the request of one of the companies involved.
The investigation involves thirteen Italian producers, including Garofalo and La Molisana, which are the subject of an annual review anti-dumping tariffs in effect since the 1990s. The Department of Commerce had initially designated a duty 91.74% for some groups, the expected 15% increase in tariffs on European products would cause the final tariffs to be more than 100%. This unusually high figure – according to initial reports – stems from serious gaps in the documentation received, which was deemed incomplete or inconsistent in various areas. American sources explained that Italian companies had been repeatedly invited to provide clarifications and improve sales, cost and production databases, but the updates did not arrive at the time and form requested.
Administration officials emphasized that there is still time, until January, to prevent finalization of the tariffs and cautioned that Trump cannot directly intervene with anti-dumping duties set through an autonomous quasi-judicial process.
They also reiterated that the companies involved were only representative 16% of Italian pasta is imported in the United States and most of the pasta consumed in the country is produced domestically. If companies cooperate in time, anti-dumping duties could return to the normal levels of the past, between 7 and 10%, or even 0%.
