Chinese Tariffs Cost S.C. TV Plant 126 Jobs

WINNSBORO, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina television maker says it's laying off 126 workers because of President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports from China.

Element TV Company said in a letter to state employment officials Monday that workers will be let go Oct. 5, leaving a skeleton crew of eight employees to watch the Fairfield County plant in hopes it can reopen in three to six months.

Element says the tariffs are hitting key components it uses to assemble its U.S.-made televisions. The Trump administration imposed a 25 percent import tax that included Chinese components for TVs in July.

Fairfield County is 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Columbia. The county lost about 5,000 jobs last summer when construction was halted on two nuclear reactors.

The layoffs were first reported by The State newspaper.