Washington, August 7: President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, imposing a minimum import price and a 15% tariff on products made from poly silicon. This material is crucial for solar panels and semiconductors.
According to the White House announcement, the minimum import price for poly silicon will be set at $21 per kilogram, while poly silicon ingots and wafers will have a minimum price of $100 per kilogram. These new trade measures will take effect on December 4, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
Trump also directed the U.S. Department of Commerce to initiate a program aimed at boosting domestic production of raw poly silicon and related downstream products.
As per a fact sheet from the White House, the goal of these measures is to create equal opportunities for American producers of these strategic goods, promote onshoring of these industries, and protect U.S. national security along with its defense industrial base.
The fact sheet further states that the U.S. share of global poly silicon production capacity has plummeted from 50% in 2005 to less than 2% by 2024.
In addition to the tariff on poly silicon, Trump signed two executive orders aimed at limiting birthright citizenship. This move comes after the Supreme Court rejected a previous order from his administration.
While signing the new orders in the Oval Office, Trump remarked, “The Supreme Court’s decision regarding birthright citizenship is very unfortunate, and the case was very close. Therefore, we are making some changes.”
According to the White House, one of the orders aims to curb “birth tourism,” which refers to foreign nationals coming to the U.S. on non-immigrant visas to give birth on American soil. This includes efforts to assist in such entries.
Xinhua News Agency reports that the second order expands the definition of individuals ineligible for citizenship by birthright. This includes children of foreign government employees, members of specific foreign terrorist organizations, and children of individuals who commit fraud to obtain citizenship.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
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