Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020.

United States and European officials signaled progress in tariff talks Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump announced a pact with Japan and China said its vice premier would attend bilateral negotiations next week.

WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States and Japan struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that included a $550 billion package of U.S.-bound investment and loans from Tokyo.