One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s most influential cabinet members has expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the trade deal on the table with Canada and is pushing for changes to be made as the high-stakes trade negotiations come down to the wire in Washington, CBC News has learned.
Four sources with knowledge of the closed-door discussions say U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a central figure in the Trump administration’s economic policy who has known the president for decades, has said he believed the United States could secure a better agreement than the one that’s been on offer since Tuesday.
The sources say Lutnick took particular issue with potentially lowering the sectoral tariffs, known as 232 tariffs, including lowering the levy on Canada-made automobiles from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. They say Lutnick believes the reprieve would undermine efforts to encourage domestic production in the U.S.