REAL TALK

NEWS POLITICS

Biden Vetoes Bipartisan Plan to Restore US Tariffs on China-Made Solar Panels

ByAlki David

May 18, 2023

President Joe Biden is facing criticism for vetoing a bipartisan plan that would have restored United States tariffs on solar panels made in China. The plan, which enjoyed widespread support in Congress, aimed to address concerns that Chinese manufacturers were avoiding U.S. tariffs by routing their products through southeast Asian countries.

In June 2022, Biden imposed a 24-month tariff moratorium on solar panel imports from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. However, Commerce Department officials suspect that the panels are actually made in China and being routed through the four southeast Asian nations to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Late last month and earlier this month, the House and Senate passed a Congressional Review Act resolution that would have restored U.S. tariffs on solar panel imports. However, Biden vetoed the resolution this week, siding with suspected Chinese solar manufacturers.

Critics have slammed Biden’s veto, arguing that it will allow Chinese manufacturers to continue to evade U.S. tariffs and harm American solar panel manufacturers. They say that the administration’s reluctance to impose tariffs on China is undermining the competitiveness of domestic industries and hurting American workers.

Supporters of the veto argue that the moratorium is necessary to promote renewable energy and address climate change. They say that imposing tariffs on solar panels from China and southeast Asian countries would be counterproductive and harm the global effort to transition to clean energy.

The debate over solar panel tariffs is part of a larger conversation about the U.S. relationship with China and ongoing concerns about intellectual property theft and unfair trade practices. As solar energy becomes increasingly important for both economic and environmental reasons, the stakes are high for both American and Chinese manufacturers.

In conclusion, Biden’s veto of a bipartisan plan to restore U.S. tariffs on solar panels made in China has sparked controversy and criticism. The move has been slammed by critics who say that it will harm domestic industries and workers. Supporters argue that the tariff moratorium is necessary to promote renewable energy and address climate change.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.