Vance Touts Tariffs, Regulatory Rollbacks at Plastics Plant
Vice President JD Vance on Friday touted the Trump administration's plans to "rebuild American manufacturing" at a plastics manufacturing facility in Michigan despite the industry's protests against tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
President Donald Trump announced plans to tax imports from those two countries at 25 percent as part of his long-term goal to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
"Our goal is to make it easier and more affordable to make things again in the United States of America," Vance said. "If you want to be rewarded, build in America. If you want to be penalized, build outside of America. It's as simple as that."
But those goals conflict with plastics industry warnings that the tariffs will hurt domestic plastics manufacturing.
Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of Plastics Industry Association, said the group "remains deeply concerned about the tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, and their impact on U.S. plastics manufacturing and jobs."
"These tariffs will disrupt the movement of essential machines, products, and materials that keep American manufacturers running across sectors like healthcare, consumer products, and automotive," Seaholm said.
Trump last month declared the U.S. was moving "back to plastic" when he signed an executive order banning federal procurement of plastic straws, something Seaholm and other trade groups applauded.
"Unless you're willing to use American power to fight back against what those countries have been doing for a generation, you are never going to rebuild American manufacturing, and you're never going to support the American worker," Vance said in front of a crowd of about 200 people at Vantage Plastics.
Part of the Trump administration's mission to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. includes "relief from all sorts of heavy handed rules" regulating energy production, Vance said.
Vantage Plastics, a manufacturing company specializing in custom plastic molds and recycling, opened a facility near Bay City, Michigan, in summer 2023 with the help of a $1.2 million grant from the state and a promise to bring around 100 jobs to the area.
"Vantage is an American success story," said Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler, who spoke ahead of Vance.
Environmental advocates with Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter gathered outside in protest against "the administration's policies and priorities," says a social media post. A White House pool report noted a crowd of about 50 protesters were outside the facility ahead of Vance's remarks.
"It's unfortunate that Vice President Vance is using a plastic polluter as a symbol of success," said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics. "Plastic is not the future — it's a threat to our future that America desperately needs to shift away from before it's too late.