MEMA's Meuwissen details Trump's executive order and tariff goals

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Updated Jan 21, 2025
Ana Meuwissen with MEMA speaking about tariffs
MEMA's Ana Meuwissen discussed the tactics President Trump could use to implement tariffs in 2025 and beyond to achieve his goals during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue Monday in Grapevine, Texas.

Donald Trump had returned to the presidency by the time Ana Meuwissen, MEMA’s senior vice president, government affairs, took to the stage to discuss regulatory affairs Monday at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue in Grapevine, Texas.

Meuwissen kicked off her comments detailing Trump’s scheduled Day One plans. She said the new president was expected to sign nearly 100 executive orders on Monday, most of which focused in three major areas — immigration, energy and government reform. Meuwissen said any executive actions the president signed later Monday or this week cannot alter the constitution or direct federal spending outside of congressional approval, but they can direct agencies on how implement laws, allocate resources and revoke or alter regulations.

Trump also has the power to enact tariffs, which Meuwissen previously discussed in a media call last week and noted has been a top concern among MEMA members since Election Day.  

[RELATED: Aftermarket suppliers prepare to take tariffs, other industry challenges head on]

Meuwissen noted last week’s Senate hearing for Scott Bessent, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, was illuminating because Bessent stated Trump is likely to levy tariffs for three primary reasons: to combat unfair trade practices, as a revenue generator for the United States and as a negotiating tactic for non-trade reasons. She said tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico could be due to all of those reasons, which means it is difficult to know now what needs to be done by other nations and industry to sway the administration away from tariff action.

From there, Meuwissen pivoted to the USMCA, the updated version of NAFTA that was created during Trump’s first term. She said USMCA is set for a review in July 2026, a new feature that did not exist under the NAFTA agreement. Meuwissen said the review feature could prove arduous for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries, which experienced substantial alterations under USMCA when it was written and are still working to implement those changes.

“MEMA has a USMCA working group and we have already been meeting with administration officials … The continuity of the USMCA is our top priority,” she said.

Finally, Meuwissen turned her attention toward regulations. Meuwissen echoed the comments from Peterbilt’s Jason Skoog earlier in the day that MEMA is unaware as to if the Trump administration will seek to rollback EPA’s Phase 3 greenhouse gas regulations or attempt to rescind any waivers the EPA approved for California earlier this month. Meuwissen said rescinding or abandoning any regulation implemented or scheduled is not “an easy or simple process,” and said if the administration does attempt to do so, it is likely their efforts will be met with litigation.

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