How Tariffs Can Be a Good Idea for People and the Planet

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Donald Trump is moving full steam ahead on his campaign promise of slapping tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. According to a recent report in Reuters, Trump’s decision has “spooked investors, with fears of an economic downturn driving a stock market sell-off that has wiped out $4 trillion from the S&P 500’s peak last month, when Wall Street was cheering much of Trump’s agenda.” 

But, while liberal critics are blaming Trump for upending the economy, some on the left are reminding us that—if done correctly—tariffs can be a force for good. In a recent op-ed for The Call, Hillary Haden, former executive director of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition and the current organizing director at the Trade Justice Education Fund, makes the case for the benefit of enacting tariffs.

“Tariffs can serve as a powerful tool for upholding internationally agreed-upon labor and human rights standards, ensuring that trade benefits workers both in the U.S. and globally, rather than enabling corporations to exploit labor across borders,” Haden writes. “They can also help prevent companies from flooding markets with cheap goods to eliminate competition and drive monopolization, and they can support ‘buy local’ and ‘buy American’ initiatives.”

She spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the need to develop a progressive approach to tariffs.