Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020.

The deal reduces tariffs on Japanese exports, including autos and auto parts, to15 percent, in exchange for Japanese investment and import commitments.