 To defuse the threat, the U.S. does have a range of options that it might be forced to deploy. Whatever steps the U.S. government might take, though, would likely face legal challenges from companies that want to import the Chinese EVs. John Scott reporting. The American economy expanded at a 1.4% annual pace from January through March, the slowest quarterly growth since spring 2022. Consumer spending grew at just a 1.5% rate.