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More information about Americans for Free Trade is available at AmericansForFreeTrade.com.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced that the organization has joined Americans for Free Trade (AFT) – a coalition focused on averting the harmful consequences of the emerging trade war, including new U.S.-imposed tariffs and retaliatory actions by trading partners. AFT also will collaborate with Farmers for Free Trade, and these groups are waging coordinated campaigns to tell this story from the grassroots level – beginning with a series of events and communications that carry the theme “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland.”
“The tariff list is looking more and more identical to the shopping list hanging on Americans’ refrigerators. The emerging trade war already involves tariffs on billions of dollars of goods, and hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of other goods have been targeted,” said NACDS president and chief executive officer Steven Anderson. “NACDS is joining Americans for Free Trade to help tell of the real-life consequences for American consumers, employees, businesses and economic vitality. Particularly at a time when businesses are focused on leading themselves through rapid and rampant transformation, the barriers presented by a trade war are beyond stifling – they could be devastating.”
NACDS’ engagement with AFT builds on existing initiatives to raise awareness of the unintended consequences of tariffs. In August, from the NACDS Total Store Expo held in Denver, NACDS and the Colorado Retail Council fostered the local and national conversation about the emerging trade war.
A Denver Business Journal op-ed by the groups described concerns about recently imposed, and newly targeted, tariffs. An infographic and ads targeted to Washington decision-makers highlighted public opinion research conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS. NACDS’ communications also are guided by insights from NACDS chain and supplier member companies regarding the immediate and anticipated ramifications of tariffs and trade-partner retaliation. NACDS is housing related information online at NACDS.org/freetrade.
Last year, NACDS also engaged with retailers, suppliers and coalitions to fight and defeat the border adjustment tax, which similarly threatened consumers, workers and businesses.
