What Happened?

A new 25% U.S. tariff on many goods from Brazil can raise what American stores pay for Brazilian-made products, and the U.S. arm of a Brazilian cookware maker has now hired lobbyists to work on it. Ballard Partners reported $100,000 in fees from Tramontina USA Inc., which sells cookware and home decor, for July through September to lobby on “301 Brazil,” the trade law behind the tariff, according to the firm’s federal lobbying report and a Legis1 review of the filing. ​

It’s the company’s first federal lobbying report. Ballard registered the client in September and named two lobbyists: firm president Brian Ballard and Hunter Morgen, who worked in the Trump White House from 2017 to 2020, including in its trade and manufacturing policy office. The report doesn’t say which Tramontina products come from Brazil or whether the tariff covers them, and federal rules round the fee to the nearest $10,000.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The tariff took effect July 22 after President Trump directed the U.S. Trade Representative to act. It adds 25% to the cost of many Brazilian imports, with exemptions for some raw materials, aircraft parts, medicines and goods that are hard to get elsewhere. Some Brazilian goods also face a separate 12.5% duty tied to forced labor, for a combined 37.5% where both apply, The Rio Times reported.

Both Sides, Now

The administration says Brazil has been treating U.S. businesses unfairly. “Today’s action is necessary to address these unfair trade practices,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said July 15 in announcing the tariff, citing Brazil’s digital trade rules, its tariffs on U.S. ethanol, weak intellectual property protection and illegal deforestation.

Brazil’s government called the tariffs “unjustified and arbitrary” and in August began a process that could lead to retaliation, Al Jazeera reported. At home, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned in July that the tariff could hurt American manufacturers and supply chains and raise consumer prices, and said the goal “should be to secure concrete reforms through bilateral engagement with Brazil.”

What Happens Next?

Greer met with Brazil’s trade and foreign ministers Sept. 30, and the two sides set up a working group on a possible trade deal, but Greer refused to pause the tariff during talks. Brazil expects a written U.S. offer in November, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won reelection Sunday, Oct. 25, begins his new term Jan. 5, 2027, according to The Rio Times.

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