President Biden vetoed legislation on Tuesday that would have reinstated tariffs on solar panels from Chinese companies in Southeast Asia. The Senate narrowly passed the resolution this month, with several key Democrats supporting the measure, in a sharp rebuke to Mr. Biden. The president had announced a two-year pause on the tariffs last year after importers complained that the penalties would threaten broader adoption of solar energy in the United States.
The showdown has pitted Mr. Biden’s climate goals against efforts to make the United States less reliant on China’s supply of materials that are crucial for the American economy. Critics said the suspension on tariffs failed to defend American workers and solar manufacturers, who have pushed the administration to block the importing of cheap products.
The administration, however, has argued that buying solar panels from China in the short term is necessary to make good on the president’s efforts to mitigate climate change. Solar importers and installers have defended the pause on tariffs and said it should be extended even longer. The White House has also argued that the materials are needed as companies commit to building solar panels after Mr. Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act.
Mr. Biden’s veto of the legislation is a reaffirmation of the administration’s commitment to business certainty in the clean energy sector, and a signal to companies to continue creating jobs, building domestic manufacturing capacity and investing in American communities.