Schumer joins opposition to newsprint tariff

NEW YORK--U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer has joined New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to push the U.S. Department of Commerce to reverse course from their decision to impose duties on groundwood paper, the raw material used by New York's local newspaper companies for newsprint.
Schumer noted newspapers across New York are already being negatively affected by the Department of Commerce's preliminary duties of this paper. He indicated they could suffer even more should the tariffs be made permanent in a final determination Wednesday, Aug. 1.
"Upstate New York's hometown papers are fundamental to an informed citizenry, healthy communities and a vibrant democracy," said Schumer.
Last week, Cuomo echoed the statement, saying, "In New York, we believe that the freedom of the press is sacred and that there is no greater calling than the pursuit of truth and justice."
Schumer explained groundwood paper imports from Canada are primarily used as newsprint, but also as retail inserts by producers in New York. Due to the predominance of Canadian imports in the northeast and the lack of any U.S. groundwood producer in the region leading to the lack of production capacity in the U.S., duties could dramatically increase operating costs for all products printed on newsprint.
The preliminary tariffs were put in place to respond to a petition by a Washington state papermill called the North Pacific Paper Company (NORPAC). The group asked for protection from Canadian imports on paper.
A newspaper advocacy group, Stop Tariffs on Printers and Publishers, says most Canadian imports do not reach NORPAC's market in the Pacific Northwest and the tariffs will never fix the overall reduced demand for newsprint. They add the tariffs "threaten thousands of jobs in the United States."
Politicians have called into question the administration of President Donald Trump's White House in relation to the tariff. "President Trump's tariffs on newsprint are an obvious economic attack on the First Amendment from an administration unable to hide its contempt for the media," said Cuomo.
President Trump has repeatedly referred to the media saying they are the "enemy of the people."