EN 
PT_BR 
The United States Treasury Secretary has reached out to the Ministry of Finance to schedule a meeting to discuss the tariff hike imposed by the Donald Trump administration on some Brazilian exports. A date for the meeting has not yet been set. The last meeting between the Treasury Secretary and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was in May, before the announcement of the tariff hike. rate of 50%.
Photo: Allan Santos/PR
“Secretary Bessent’s office contacted us on Wednesday (30) and will finally schedule a second meeting. The first, as I had mentioned, was in May, in California. There will now be a round of negotiations and we will present our point of view to the American authorities,” Minister Fernando Haddad said on Thursday (31).
The minister emphasized that this is just the starting point of the negotiations. "We are at a more favorable starting point than imagined. But we are far from the finish line. There is a lot of injustice in the measures announced yesterday," Haddad clarified.
About 700 products were left out of the 50% tariff hike list against Brazil. According to estimates, 43% of exports to the United States were exempt from the tariff hike. In the mineral sector, approximately 25% of products were taxed.
Contingency plan
Despite the exceptions, Haddad said the impact is dramatic for some sectors, and that in the coming days the government will announce measures to assist these companies affected by the tariffs. "There are cases that are dramatic, which should be considered immediately. In the coming days, we will launch part of our plan to support and protect industry and jobs," he said.
The aid package for the affected sectors should include credit lines and support for companies. Haddad said he is relieved for the sectors.
that were spared, but it's necessary to protect those still affected, especially the smaller and more fragile sectors. "There are sectors that, in terms of exports, aren't significant, but the impact on them is very significant. Sometimes the sector is small, but it's important for Brazil to maintain jobs," he explained.
Even large sectors, dealing with important raw materials [commodities], which have a global market, will need to adapt, the minister assessed. "Obviously, there are affected sectors whose short-term solution is easier because they are commodities for which Brazil has many open markets, but even these will require some time to adapt. You can't change a contract overnight. We have to analyze each case individually, and we will have the [credit] lines available for this," he said.
Interference
Finance Minister Fernando Haddad also reaffirmed that attempts to interfere in the Supreme Federal Court's (STF) trial of the attempted coup cannot be discussed, especially since the Judiciary is independent of the Executive. "Perhaps Brazil is one of the largest democracies in the world, contrary to what Executive Order [Trump's] would have us believe. We have to explain that the persecution of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is not the path to rapprochement between the two countries," he said.
