COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Trump Administration announced new potential tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1.

China would face a 10% tariff across the board on goods, in additional to the tariffs imposed by President Trump during his last time in office. The Biden Administration did not remove any levies on China. Mexico and Canada could face a 25% tariff, if there are no negotiations between now and next month.

Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers, a former U.S. Congressman for the state of Ohio, believes most of the tariffs could be part of a larger deal putting America first.

"Certainly, President Trump talked about tariffs during the campaign. This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody,” said Stivers. "When you think about tariffs against folks like China that are violating trade laws, manipulating their currency, dumping products, it's hard to really argue against those."

While the Ohio Chamber of Commerce generally supports free enterprise and less regulation, Stivers noted that tariffs against countries like China might be necessary.

"I think it's a smart strategy to use the threat of tariffs to bring people to the table,” said Stivers. "Our members are more optimistic about the economy now than they have been in any time... since I've been here."

However, he expressed concern about potential tariffs on Canadian crude oil, which is a major input for Ohio's six oil refineries, “It could really hit consumers at the gas pump,” Stivers said.

Stivers says Ohio Chamber of Commerce members had to reshuffle supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly moving away from China due to intellectual property concerns and unfair competition.

However, he acknowledged concerns about possible retaliatory tariffs, from Mexico and Canada, which could impact Ohio farmers and the auto industry.

“We would be very concerned about retaliatory tariffs as well,” said Stivers. “I was in Congress when we negotiated and changed the North American Free Trade Agreement to the USMCA (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement) and that was under the Trump administration. I think it was a good deal for the United States. It was a good deal for American workers. It was a good deal for Canada and Mexico. That's why all three countries ratified it. We're living under the USMCA right now and it's treating us pretty well in my opinion, but if the administration wants to try to get a better deal on a few things. I'm all in favor of having them look at that, I hope they don't just, you know, blanket tariffs that they try to come to a new negotiation on USMC if there's problems with it.”

When asked by Consumer 10’s Clay Gordon if Ohio industry infrastructure could absorb new business caused by tariffs, Stivers said he was confident Ohio business could handle the increased demand.

"I think we are prepared to grow and surge with any demand that's available,” said Stivers.