USTR defends Trump administration’s national-emergency tariffs as talks begin with 50-plus countries

The Senate Finance Committee heard extended testimony Wednesday from Ambassador Jason Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, defending President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency and the administration’s imposition of reciprocal tariffs intended to reduce the U.S. trade deficit.

Greer said the administration concluded last week that the nation faces an urgent economic and national-security challenge tied to a large and persistent trade deficit. "President Trump imposed tariffs to address this emergency," Greer said. He told the committee the measures are aimed "squarely at achieving reciprocity and reducing our massive trade deficit to reshore production in the United States."

Greer and other administration witnesses anchored the actions to the new "America First Trade Policy" memorandum, the USTR’s national trade estimate, and the president’s directive. Greer described the tariff package as a combination of a global baseline and higher, country-specific rates intended to create leverage in market-access talks. He said the administration is simultaneously negotiating with countries that have approached the U.S. to discuss reciprocal measures and has had "about 50" countries engage with USTR staff so far.

Committee members pressed Greer on the scope, duration and objectives of the tariffs. Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked repeatedly whether the tariffs were intended as a negotiating tool or as a permanent break with global trade, saying "What is the plan?" and calling for clarity about how the tariffs were determined. Greer replied that the administration intends the measures both to take effect as announced and to be paired with immediate negotiations: "The president's fixed in his purpose. The nature of the emergency ... is not something we can wait on anymore," Greer said.

Greer cited broad indicators in the administration’s assessment: he told senators the United States has lost "5,000,000 manufacturing jobs and 90,000 factories since 1994," and said the trade deficit the administration is addressing stood at about $1,200,000,000,000 when the prior administration left office. He also said the USTR has observed early signs of movement by some partners: Greer told senators that "nearly 50 countries have approached me personally" and that countries including Argentina, Vietnam, India and Israel "have suggested that they will reduce their tariffs and non-tariff barriers in line with the president's policy."

Greer said the administration has excluded from the broad tariff action certain sensitive sectors that are being addressed by separate investigations or programs, specifically citing semiconductors and pharmaceuticals as examples of items under different reviews. He also described the tariffs as part of a broader industrial and investment strategy that includes incentives to reshore production and to align export controls and investment screening with economic-security objectives.

Committee members from both parties pressed the administration on how the tariff rates were calculated and on the process for negotiating country-specific adjustments. Several senators criticized the administration’s decision to move via emergency declaration rather than through legislation and sought more detail on consultation with Congress. Greer said USTR staff had held hundreds of staff-level engagements with Hill offices in recent weeks and that the administration would consider offers from countries that could materially reduce the U.S. trade deficit.

The hearing produced no committee vote. Senators asked for further written materials and consultations; Greer said his office would continue talks and report back as negotiations proceed.