Trump scraps tariffs on beef, coffee, fruit

President Trump has signed an executive order to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who complain prices are too high.

- By WILL WEISSERT

The move on Friday comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in races in Virginia and New Jersey.

The president signed the executive order after announcing that the U.S. reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina designed to ease import levies on agricultural products produced in those countries. Trump suggested last week that he’d be lowering tariffs on coffee to help increase its importation.

The Trump administration has insisted that tariffs helped fill government coffers and weren't a major factor in higher prices at grocery stores. But Democrats were quick to paint Friday’s move as an acknowledgment that Trump’s policies were hurting American pocketbooks.