SAG-AFTRA is signaling a willingness to support President Donald Trump’s recently floated proposal to impose tariffs on films produced outside the United States, though the union is withholding full endorsement pending more information from the White House.
In a statement released Monday, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said the 160,000-member union “supports efforts to increase movie, television, and streaming production in the United States.” He added, “We will continue to advocate for policies that strengthen our competitive position, accelerate economic growth, and create good middle-class jobs for American workers.”
The statement comes in response to a Truth Social post by President Trump on Sunday, in which he proposed a 100% tariff on “any Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.” Trump claimed he had authorized the Department of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to move forward on the initiative. However, the White House later clarified that “no final decisions” had been made.
Crabtree-Ireland was the first among Hollywood’s major labor leaders to respond publicly. “We look forward to learning more about the specifics of the plan announced by the President and to advancing a dialogue to achieve our common goals,” he said.
The proposal has raised significant questions throughout the industry: Would television and digital content be affected? How would “produced in Foreign Lands” be defined? What would the impact be on international co-productions and post-production work done overseas?
Later on Monday, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb issued his own statement urging a more comprehensive federal strategy. While endorsing the goal of bringing production back to the U.S., Loeb emphasized the need to protect Canadian IATSE members and avoid disrupting international partnerships. “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,” he said.
As labor unions, studios, and policymakers await clarity, the proposed tariffs have sparked a fresh debate about the role of global production incentives and what it will take to bring Hollywood jobs back to U.S. soil.
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