Sanford Statement on Administration's Decision to Issue Tariff

WASHINGTON, DC -Today, Representative Mark Sanford (R-SC) released the following statement on the U.S. Trade Representative’s decision to issue tariffs on imported solar panels and on washing machines:

“This is a mistake. If increasing tariffs were the road to prosperity, then a whole host of economically forgotten places around the world would be vibrant. They are not. Increased tariffs have proved themselves to sound great but set countries on a financial road to ruin. This is shortsighted and will cost American jobs.

“The appliance industry has recently seen strong investment in South Carolina with Samsung investing $380 million to build a new manufacturing plant, while the solar industry concurrently has been growing at 20% a year over the last four years. All told, over 7,000 South Carolinians who work in the solar industry could lose their jobs as a result of these tariffs.”