WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today applauded the action of U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo for securing a delay in the tariff hike on whiskey that the European Union was set to impose in June.
“While there is still work to do to permanently remove all tariffs on Tennessee whiskey, I am encouraged that Ambassador Tai and Secretary Raimondo have received this commitment from the EU,” Senator Hagerty said. “Tennessee whiskey is not just a drink, it’s part of my state’s identity and this looming tariff hike would have caused significant harm to this industry as our economy rebounds from this pandemic-driven recession. I continue to encourage the Ambassador and Secretary to work with their European counterparts to find a lasting solution that removes this unfair target on a critical industry for our country.”
In a recent Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Hagerty encouraged Ambassador Tai to negotiate with her European counterparts to halt the planned tariff increase on American whiskey, including Tennessee whiskey. Hagerty followed up on his conversation with Ambassador Tai with a letter last week to her and Secretary Raimondo—joined by 16 other colleagues—calling on the agencies to address the tariffs that negatively impact the U.S. beverage sector and place American producers at a disadvantage.