[The Hill] President Trump's protectionist trade policies have led to a hiring spree on K Street, as countries seeking to escape tariffs bring on new firms to convince the White House and Congress that they should be treated favorably.Since the beginning of 2017, eight countries have added roughly two dozen firms to work on trade issues, according to disclosures filed to the Justice Department and counted by The Hill.
Those countries ‐ Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, Australia, United Arab Emirates, China, Canada and Mexico ‐ already have other firms on retainer.
So far, countries including South Korea, Canada, Mexico and Australia won exemptions from new tariffs the Trump administration has slapped on imports of aluminum and steel. But Japan, an ally to the U.S. that has been in regular talks with the White House, did not.
"This tariff thing, where you basically have to go plead your case with the president's team or [Commerce Secretary Wilbur] Ross to get an exemption from tariffs on your company or country. ... I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in Washington," one Republican lobbyist told The Hill. "It's like the ticket desk at Dulles [International Airport] in a snowstorm where you have 472 people trying to fight for eight available seats on a plane."
The steel and aluminum tariffs are just one example of how Trump’s approach on trade has thrown people off-balance.