{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-colleagues-urge-biden-administration-to-remove-retaliatory-tariffs-on-whiskey-and-spirits-protect-american-jobs/", "Young, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Remove Retaliatory Tariffs on Whiskey and Spirits, Protect American Jobs", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington \u2013 U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) led a letter to the Biden Administration urging quick action to protect the millions of U.S. jobs that rely on American whiskey and spirits producers.\n\nWithout urgent action, the European Union (EU) will implement a 50% tariff on American whiskey imports on January 1, 2024, and American wine and other distilled spirits imports could see sharp tariff increases by 2026.\n\nRetaliatory tariffs by the EU have cost domestic sprits distillers and winemakers billions of dollars since 2018, and the U.S. needs a permanent solution to safeguard over 1.7 million production, distribution, and hospitality jobs that rely on the industry. In Indiana, the distilled spirits industry supports over 26,000 Hoosier jobs and contributes more than $2.9 billion to the state\u2019s economy. Among the top exporting states for distilled spirits, Indiana ranks sixth, with exports valued at approximately $89 million in 2022.\n\nThe senators\u2019 bipartisan letter urges U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to negotiate a deal to permanently remove retaliatory tariffs on all American-made sprits and wines.\n\n\u201cWe write today to request an expedited agreement with the European Union (EU) to secure the permanent removal of retaliatory tariffs on spirits and wines,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cWe are deeply concerned that a lack of a permanent solution risks the re-imposition of tariffs.\u201d\n\n\u201cSpirits have had a significant cultural impact in our country, and currently have a profound impact on the U.S. economy. In 2022 alone, U.S. distilled spirit exports reached $2.06 billion. But the impact of the retaliatory tariffs was devastating\u2026Our belief is that the imposition of additional tariffs on this industry is detrimental,\u201d the senators concluded. \u201cThere are mutual benefits in finding a path forward, and our belief is that spirits and wines are a point where there can be consensus to limit the damage for all parties.\u201d\n\nThe full letter can be found here.\n\n\u201cWe thank these Senators for working to protect American jobs by calling on the Administration to quickly reach an agreement with the EU to avoid a 50 percent tariff on American Whiskey exports,\u201d said Distilled Spirits Council President & CEO Chris Swonger. \u201cAmerican Whiskey has rebounded in the EU market over the past two years with these tariffs currently suspended. A return of these debilitating tariffs would be a severe blow to U.S. distillers and bring this positive momentum to a screeching halt.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Senators Young, Cortez Masto, Kaine, and Paul, Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) also signed the letter.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-colleagues-urge-biden-administration-to-remove-retaliatory-tariffs-on-whiskey-and-spirits-protect-american-jobs/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9265791159123182, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}