Following Announcement of Recent Trade Agreement, Indonesian Authorities Have Publicly Disputed Announced Agreements
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer calling on the Trump Administration to provide more transparency to Congress on their trade negotiations with other nations, in light of recent reporting showing that a trade agreement announced with Indonesia has been publicly disputed by Indonesian authorities. Her letter comes one day before President Trump’s tariffs on other nations are scheduled to go into effect.
In a recent statement, the White House has asserted that Indonesia had committed to lifting its ban on nickel exports. “However, Indonesian officials are now saying that they made no such commitment,” the Senator wrote. “Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said that the U.S.-Indonesia agreement does not touch Indonesia’s export restrictions and that ‘nothing will be removed.’ Similarly, Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources – which oversees Indonesia’s mining sector – has confirmed that Indonesia will not export raw minerals to the United States and that there are no directives or policy revisions permitting such exports to the United States. Key industry groups in Indonesia – like the Indonesia Mining Association – are also unaware of any forthcoming changes to the country’s export ban, and continue to tout the success of this policy.”
“As we look ahead, I strongly urge you to adopt greater transparency and Congressional consultation in your negotiations. Indonesia’s export ban policy is not only an important economic issue impacting U.S. firms, but given Chinese investment in Indonesia’s nickel sector, it has national security implications for our country. I stand ready to work with you to ensure real commitments and real enforceability in our trade agreements, and encourage you to adopt a more effective and transparent approach in your negotiations,” the Senator concluded.
Read the full letter here.
Senator Cortez Masto has continued to push the Trump Administration to address the impacts of Trump’s tariffs on working families and Nevada small businesses. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Cortez Masto pressed USTR Greer about the impacts of President Trump’s blanket tariffs on Nevadans, particularly those employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. The Senator introduced the Tariff Transparency Act to require the U.S. International Trade Commission to publicly investigate how Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would impact the American people.
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