President Biden is facing public pressure from America’s leading unions on an issue that has divided his top advisers: extending former President Trump’s China tariffs on approximately $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.

Why it matters: The Biden administration is engaged in an intense internal debate on whether to waive some of the so-called Section 301 tariffs to help ease inflation — the top issue roiling Biden’s presidency.

By filing an official comment with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Monday evening, union leaders are going public with what they’ve been saying in private: they expect Biden to keep all of Trump’s tariffs in place.

“Our government must act in the national interest to strengthen our economy for the future,” writes Thomas Conway, the president of the United Steel Workers, in a comment filed on behalf of the Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy.