In Case You Missed It, Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the Biden Administration for heeding her call to protect tens of thousands of spirits industry jobs that rely on American whiskey producers.
Cortez Masto led a bipartisan group of senators urging the administration to take urgent action in response to the European Union (EU)’s plan to implement a 50% tariff on American whiskey imports on January 1, 2024. This week, the EU announced they would pause these retaliatory tariffs for 15 months in response to U.S. pressure.
Whiskey Raiders: American Whiskey Industry Breathes a Sigh of Relief as EU Pauses Tariffs Thanks to Biden Administration, Bipartisan Efforts
On Tuesday, a news release from Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto announced that hospitality workers, distillers and suppliers can breathe a sigh of relief due to the temporary pause of whiskey tariffs that were set to go into action in 2024. The 50% tariffs would have been implemented by the European Union if the Biden administration failed to act.
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV; Todd Young, R-ID; Tim Kaine, D-VA; and Rand Paul, R-KY penned a letter to the Biden administration on Dec 5, urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to negotiate a deal with the E.U. to eliminate the “devastating tariffs on American exports and stand up for American workers.”
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“There are more than 19,000 Nevadans whose jobs depend on the American spirits industry, and I’m pleased to see the Administration taking action to protect them from these harsh new tariffs on our exports,” Senator Cortez Masto said in a news release. “I will continue to advocate to protect this vital industry, which helps drive our economy in Nevada and across the country.”
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According to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, the tariffs have cost “domestic spirits distillers and winemakers billions of dollars since 2018.” Though the current pause is welcome news worth raising a glass to, the senator is currently pushing for a more fixed resolution.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is applauding the Biden Administration for heeding her call to protect the “millions of U.S. jobs” that rely on American whiskey and spirits producers.
Earlier this month, Cortez Masto led a bipartisan group of senators, pushing the Administration to take urgent action in response to the European Union [plan] to implement a 50% tariff on American whiskey imports. That tariff was set to begin on January 1st. But today, the E.U. is announcing it will pause these retaliatory tariffs for 15 months in response to U.S. pressure.
Cortez Masto releasing a statement saying, “there are more than 19, 000 Nevadans whose jobs depend on the American spirits industry and I’m pleased to see the Administration taking action to protect them. from these harsh new tariffs on our exports.”
The European Union announcing a pause on retaliatory tariffs for the import of American whiskey and spirits. The E.U. will pause the tariff for 15 months.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto celebrating the move after she urged the Biden Administration to take action in a letter sent last month. The pause will temporarily stop what would have been a 50% tariff in the new year.
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is praising the Biden Administration’s negotiating of a delay in tariffs on U.S. whiskey products headed for Europe. The tariffs, which are a tax on imports into a country, were going to go up to 50% at the start of next year.
However, the Biden Administration negotiated getting them pushed back 15 months to March of 2025. Senator Cortez Masto would like to see them put off indefinitely to protect American distillers.
Cortez Masto said, “the goal here is make it permanent, at the end of the day, so our distillers just have some permanency. They don’t have to worry about some time in the future a large tariff, whether it’s 25% or 50%, kicking in, that’s going to have a negative impact on their bottom line.”
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