Government/Policy
March 13, 2025
Written by Ethan Bernard
Domestic steel trade associations, manufacturing groups, and the United Steelworkers (USW) union had mixed reactions to the implementation of new Section 232 tariffs without exclusions on Wednesday.
Trade groups representing steel mills broadly supported President Trump’s actions, while the USW and some groups representing manufacturers were more critical.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted unanimously to keep anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on welded line pipe from South Korea and Turkey in place for another five years.
Mesabi Metallics has received preliminary approval for tax incentive terms for a proposed steel plant in Iowa, following a Nov. 10 meeting of the Lee County Board of Supervisors. The company, owned by India’s Essar Group, announced in late September its intention to build an electric-arc furnace steel plant in the state, which, if built, would be the largest in the US.
Imports of tin mill products from Taiwan and Turkey face new anti-dumping duties (AD) in the US after a key Commerce Department determination. In the trade case investigating allegedly dumped tin mill products, Commerce preliminarily determined that tin mill products from both countries are being sold below fair value.
Trade enforcement measures, including tariffs, should remain a bipartisan priority as a new Congress takes shape, speakers said during an event marking the release of a new report from the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM).
The election last Tuesday was a stunning rebuke to President Trump and many of his policies. High prices and pessimism about the economy were clearly on the minds of voters and the members of Congress they sent to Washington. Trade policy can help address those issues. Some trade experts think the new Congress could deal with tariffs on imports from Canada early on. I also expect hearings and new bills to more closely control presidential authority over tariffs. Much is unknown about what will happen come January, when new members convene. But some points are already obvious to those who see politics as a means to an end (governing) rather than as an end in itself (getting elected).