Democratic and Republican Senators Including Rand Paul Join Forces, Call for Removal of 50% Whiskey Tariff
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto D-NV, penned a letter in a rare bipartisan move, urging the Biden Administration to stop the impending 50% whiskey tariff. (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV revealed that she penned a letter with Senators Todd Young, R-ID; Tim Kaine, D-VA; and Rand Paul, R-KY to the Biden Administration, urging immediate action against a looming whiskey tariff of 50%.
The letter was a rare example of bipartisan unity in which the senators expressed that if the current administration does not take action against preventative tariffs from the European Union, it could have devastating consequences and cost the spirits industry billions of dollars in the country.
The bipartisan letter appealed to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to broker a deal with the E.U. to eliminate retaliatory tariffs on American-made spirits for good.
“While we applaud the Administration’s efforts to suspend retaliatory tariffs for five years on spirits and wines in the WTO Large Civil Aircraft Dispute and the two-year pause on American Whiskeys in the steel and aluminum dispute, we are deeply concerned that a lack of a permanent fix risks the re-imposition of tariffs,” the letter began.
According to Masto’s representatives, the U.S. spirits industry supports over 19,000 jobs and over $1.6 billion in revenue for Nevada alone.
The letter claimed American Whiskey “has rebounded in the EU market over the past two years with these tariffs currently suspended” and said reinstituting them would “bring this positive momentum to a screeching halt.”
Additional Senators signed the letter, including Mitch McConnell, R-KY; Mike Crapo, R-ID; Mark Warner, D-VA; Marsha Blackburn, R-TN; Joe Manchin, D-WV; Roger Marshall, R-KS; Jacky Rosen, D-NV; Bill Hagerty, R-TN; Maria Cantwell, D-WA; Katie Britt, R-AL; Mike Braun, R-IN; Gary Peters, D-MI; and John Cornyn, R-TX.
Whiskey: A Uniter of America’s Divided Political Scene
In our increasingly politically divided world, it seems like booze — more specifically bourbon and whiskey — is a glue that brings both ends of the political spectrum together.
On Sept. 21, a rare bipartisan measure from the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the White Oak Resilience Act to protect the U.S.’s white oak trees, which are commonly used in barrels for aging bourbon, wine and other whiskeys. The bill was introduced to the House of Representatives and cosponsored by the Congressional White Oak Caucus and Congressional Bourbon Caucus Chairs, Andy Barr, R-KY; Ami Bera, D-CA; Steve Cohen, D-TN; Scott DesJarlais, R-TN; and Morgan McGarvey, D-KY.
Due to the explosive growth of the whiskey industry, America’s 104 million acres of white oak forests are heavily harvested. Though younger trees are being planted, they have yet to catch up with demand.
If the initiative passes, a formal USDA White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition will pass and coordinate white oak preservation projects while working closely with the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior.
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