LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Trump administration is making strides that are directly impacting the state of Michigan, including tariff deals and keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
Tariffs and Trump.
On Monday, The White House released information on successful trade negotiations made over the weekend.
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“On the heels of the brand-new deal with the United Kingdom, President Donald J. Trump reached an agreement with China to reduce China’s tariffs and eliminate retaliation, retain a U.S. baseline tariff on China, and set a path for future discussions to open market access for American exports,” a White House statement said.
The statement went on to say the deal means China will remove the retaliatory tariffs and suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since early April. China will “suspend its initial 34% tariff on the United States it announced on April 4, 2025 for 90 days, but will retain a 10% tariff during the period of the pause.”
The Trump administration said the U.S. will remove additional tariffs it imposed on China last month, “but will retain all duties imposed on China prior to April 2, 2025.” This is in response to the fentanyl national emergency.
“Real progress.”
GOP House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), who met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last month, spoke on The Steve Gruber Show on Monday about how the new tariff agreement and memorandum to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes keeps the winning going in Michigan.
“Now you’re seeing real progress with China,” Hall told Gruber, referring to the trade deal. He also mentioned that the positive ripple effects from this deal will take time. “To take an entire trade system that’s weighted against the United States and fix it in the first 100 days is tough,” Hall said. “We’re going to have to be patient. But were seeing one-by-one Trump’s administration making progress and you’ll see more American manufacturing as a result if we’re not taken advantage of by these other countries.”
Asian carp barriers and safeguards.
In addition, President Trump signed a memorandum ordering his administration to implement measures to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
This fulfills a commitment Trump made to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Oval Office when she and Speaker Hall met with him. The invasive species threatens the Great Lakes if it reaches Lake Michigan.
The memorandum also holds the state of Illinois responsible by urging it to move on its part of a project to stop the carp at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam which is a key choke point.
“The state of Illinois this whole time has been working against us,” Hall said, referring to the $1.5 billion barrier project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. “Once Trump got into office, Gov. JB Prizker backed out of the deal and blamed Trump.”
According to reporting from The Detroit News, the Democratic Illinois governor “said Trump’s statement gave him enough reassurance to proceed with the project as previously planned before the governor’s administration had put it on hold.”
