IATSE on President Trump Movie Tariff Announcement: ‘U.S. Needs Balanced Federal Response to Return Film and TV Jobs’

Federal policymakers must act to level the playing field and make the U.S. film and television industry more competitive on the global stage. IATSE is engaging with the Trump administration and Congress to advocate for policies that result in those stated goals.

President Trump has correctly recognized that the American film and television industry faces an urgent threat from international competition. Foreign governments have successfully lured film and television productions, and the multitude of jobs they create, away from the United States with aggressive tax incentives and subsidies. Films intended for initial release in the U.S. are increasingly being shot overseas — and American workers and our economy are paying the price.

In just two years, IATSE members have lost tens of thousands of jobs across the United States. That’s thousands of families, small businesses, and communities across the country feeling the economic hardship of a shrinking industry.

“The United States needs a balanced federal response to return film and television jobs,” said International President Matthew D. Loeb. “IATSE recommended that the Trump administration implement a federal film production tax incentive and other domestic tax provisions to level the playing field for American workers. We await further information on the administration’s proposed tariff plan, but we continue to stand firm in our conviction that any eventual trade policy must do no harm to our Canadian members — nor the industry overall. We seek reciprocal trade practices that ensure fair competition for all IATSE members.”

IATSE has a proud history of representing behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the United States and Canada since 1898. Special consideration should be given to film and television productions in Canada, given its unique cultural and economic partnership with the U.S.