U.S. Trade Body Recommends Tariffs of Up to 50% on Washing-Machine Imports

By Andrew Tangel and Will Mauldin 

Federal trade regulators have recommended that the Trump administration impose big tariffs on imported washing machines to protect Whirlpool Corp. and other U.S. manufacturers.

Members of the U.S. International Trade Commission, a bipartisan agency that oversees trade, on Tuesday released three sets of recommendations that include tariffs of 50% on imported washers exceeding a quota of 1.2 million units annually. Their recommendations follow their finding in October that Whirlpool and other domestic washer makers suffered "serious injury" from a surge of imports.

The trade commission's recommendations are expected to head to the White House in early December. The Trump administration would then have about two months to weigh the recommendations and decide what, if any, new trade barriers to put in place. The recommendations aren't binding.

The office of U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer referred questions to the White House. A White House spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A Whirlpool spokesman noted that the recommendations were a preliminary step before President Donald Trump makes a decision on the matter.

Write to Andrew Tangel at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 21, 2017 14:12 ET (19:12 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.