The Washington Post-New China committee chair on Biden tariffs Its better late than never

2024-05-17T10:15:56.751Z

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In today’s edition … Is Morehouse College a safe space for President Biden? … Republicans postpone justice system politicization hearing to attend Trump trial … but first …

New China committee chair on Biden tariffs: 'It’s better late than never'

Six questions for … Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.): Moolenaar is the new chairman of the House select committee examining the United States’ relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. He succeeded Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who described the committee as “at the height of its influence” when he resigned last month as Congress passed legislation to force a sale of TikTok, the social media app owned by a Chinese parent company.

We talked with Moolenaar about his priorities for the committee, what he makes of the tariffs President Biden imposed on China this week and what he thinks of former president Donald Trump’s plans to raise them even further if he returns to the White House.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

What do you make of Biden’s decision to impose new tariffs on China?

It’s important to recognize that China is abusing the relationship. When you look at sectors [like] automotive, semiconductors, battery technologies, solar panels — they’ve strategically targeted different industries and not played by the rules of fair trade. So I think it’s an appropriate response to have penalties for that and to make sure that we're creating a level playing field for American businesses and jobs. 

I’m supportive of this effort. It would have been good to have this sooner and not lose as much opportunity as we have. But I think especially in the auto space, which is very important in Michigan — the subsidies [China is] providing, for instance, to [the Chinese electric-car maker] BYD makes it impossible for our auto companies to compete because there’s not a level playing field.

The Republican National Committee described Biden’s tariffs as an “election year ploy” that will have little effect on China. Do you see them as politically motivated?

Well, I think the president wants to be reelected. He’s viewing everything through that lens. But I would not question this policy in terms of what his motivations are, because I think this is a policy that should have been happening years ago. We haven’t raised tariffs on China for five years. It's better late than never.

Trump has proposed tariffs on China as high as 60 percent if he is reelected. Do you think tariffs at that level are a good idea?

We need to send a clear message that China is no longer a “developing nation.” They are a very wealthy nation. And they should be held to a higher standard in terms of their conduct — whether it’s stealing our intellectual property, whether it's unfair trade practices, surveilling and business practices that discriminate against American interests.

Tariffs are one tool to use, and I believe we need to use the whole arsenal of tools to level the playing field.

Where do your views on China align with Gallagher’s and where do they differ?

He had a national security background and really illuminated the threat with respect to Taiwan. I traveled with him and ranking member [Raja] Krishnamoorthi [(D-Ill.) to Taiwan in February] to see what we can do to strengthen Taiwan's defenses. We're very much aligned that deterring war through arming Taiwan is our best policy. 

I don’t know that there’s any difference in philosophy. I think we come at it from different backgrounds and experience. I come from more of a manufacturing area. I’ve actually experienced firsthand the situation with Gotion, which is a Chinese-based company that makes battery components. They're investing in my district [and] they are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party, right in their articles of association.

Gallagher called for treating the confrontation with China like a cold war and increasing defense spending to “four or even five percent” of GDP in a piece in Foreign Affairs last month he wrote with Matthew Pottinger. Do you agree with that approach?

I wouldn’t say that I have some percent. Gallagher’s experience in the military and [on the Armed Services] Committee gave him insights into the defense needs. I would say we are aligned on the importance of a strong defense. President Reagan used to say “peace through strength,” and I agree wholeheartedly with that. As an appropriator, one of my goals will be to increase our defense spending.

If the committee could accomplish only one thing during your chairmanship, what would you want it to be?

Legislatively, making sure that America’s taxpayer dollars and investments and retirement accounts are not funding our adversaries and their military buildup and nefarious actions against American interests. [Ed.: A working group is drafting legislation to restrict investment in China.]

[This moment is] almost as important as the Sputnik period was, when the Soviet Union was threatening the United States and gaining an advantage. There was an all hands on deck, all of America response to that. I believe we need a similar strategy going forward, and I'm hoping that our committee can help mobilize people and resources to accomplish this goal and win this competition.

What we're watching

On the campaign trail

Trump will headline the Republican Party of Minnesota’s annual fundraising dinner tonight in St. Paul. We’re watching to see whether he pledges to return to campaign in a state he lost twice but has said he is trying to win this year.

“We think we have a really good shot at Minnesota,” Trump told KSTP on Wednesday.

The Biden campaign is taking Trump’s visit seriously, holding a news conference this afternoon with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) to denounce Trump. 

Biden won the state by seven points in 2020 — the same margin by which he carried New Hampshire. But the Biden campaign only included New Hampshire on a list of the nine states it views as battlegrounds last month, and Biden did not visit Minnesota on a campaign swing after the State of the Union during which he hit New Hampshire and other battleground states.

Josh Marcus-Blank, a Biden campaign spokesman, wrote in an email to reporters last night that the campaign “is not taking any voters for granted and has hired a team of seasoned operatives with a proven track record of winning in Minnesota.”

In the courts

Trump’s hush money trial continues Monday after the former president’s lawyers spent Thursday trying to discredit the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen. The court will take a day off today so Trump can attend his son’s graduation. Cohen is the final witness for the prosecution, and with Trump’s team potentially calling only one witness, the trial is close to an end. 

White House Notebook

Is Morehouse College a safe space for President Biden?

The all-male, historically Black institution will welcome the president Sunday morning as its commencement speaker as dozens of colleges and universities are engaged in a sometimes explosive debate over his stance on the war in the Middle East.

That debate is certainly going on at Morehouse, as I, and others, have documented, but what will remain unclear until Biden touches down in Atlanta is how public or splenetic any demonstrations will be.

Biden is making a concerted effort to make a pitch to Black voters, whose support of him has softened in the last three years. The end of the week is filled with events aimed directly at the demographic — a meeting with members of the “Divine Nine” Black fraternities and sororities, the speech at Morehouse and keynoting an NAACP dinner in Detroit.

The message to Black voters matters in the battleground state of Georgia as much as anywhere else, but could be muddled if Biden’s words are drowned out by protests.

Morehouse’s President David Thomas told me his college is the type of place for these debates to happen, and in that vein, students will not be disciplined for a nondisruptive show of protest. He also told CNN that commencement might be halted “on the spot” if disruptions get out of hand.

But some students — including those whose sympathies lie with the Palestinian people — told me they don’t want protests to get too out of hand. This is their day after all, and their moms will be in the crowd.

The White House has also dispatched senior adviser Stephen Benjamin to Morehouse to hear the concerns of students and faculty — a relief valve of sorts in advance of the president’s arrival.

On the Hill

Republicans postpone justice system politicization hearing to attend Trump trial

The Republican chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees accused the Biden administration of politicizing the justice system — even as five of their members missed hearings to attend Donald Trump’s hush money trial in a public show of support for the former president, our colleague Jacqueline Alemany reports.

At the trial, a group of Republican lawmakers held a news conference, in which they criticized New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan and the prosecution in Trump’s case.

Enough members of the Oversight Committee were in New York supporting Trump that the committee chair, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), postponed a hearing Thursday morning until that night. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the Judiciary Committee, held its markup of a contempt resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland even as two members missed the meeting to attend Trump’s trial. 

House Republicans plan to hold Garland in contempt because the Justice Department has provided transcripts, but not audio and video from a special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. The White House invoked executive privilege to keep the audio and video of interviews private and accused Republicans of wanting them to take moments out of context for political reasons.

Former congressman and Judiciary Committee member Ken Buck (R-Colo.) agrees, telling CNN in a recent interview: “They have the information. They’re just looking for something for political purposes.”

The Media

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Josh, we want to know what you did.

Was having lunch in DC today. Meal was slow. 70 (literally!) minutes after ordering, we asked waitress for an update. She threw hands up, apologized & said she’d already tried and that we should go bother the kitchen ourselves. “Really,” she said. “Go!” What would you have done?

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 16, 2024

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