Trump will not offer tariff exemptions in near term, says US trade representative

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on April 8, exemptions to President Donald Trump's global tariffs are not expected in the near term. “The president has been clear, again, that he's not doing exemptions or exceptions in the near term,” Greer told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. Greer said that “Swiss cheese” in the process would undermine the goal of trade reciprocity. The trade representative, who oversees the implementation of the tariffs, also said there is no particular timeline for trade negotiations. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is waiting to hear from China before duties of more than 100% take effect, but other administration officials said they would not prioritize negotiations with the world's No. 2 economic power. China has refused to bow to what it called "blackmail" and vowed to "fight to the end" after Trump threatened to ratchet up tariffs to 104% in response to China's decision to match "reciprocal" duties Trump announced last week.