Steel Products

Steel caucus pushes US trade officials to maintain strong S232 program

Written by Laura Miller

August 26, 2025

The bipartisan Congressional Steel Caucus is pushing for US officials to maintain a robust Section 232 program as they negotiate trade deals with America’s trading partners.

Reps. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), chairman of the caucus, and Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.), caucus vice chairman, recently penned a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer requesting as much.

The Caucus leaders urged adequate protection and policies for the domestic steel industry, including producers and fabricators, noting that the industry “serves as the backbone for the automotive manufacturing, construction, defense, energy, and transportation industries.”

The letter highlighted the increasingly challenging market conditions around the world, “with weakening demand coinciding with continued, unchecked capacity expansion.”

“Now is not the time to waver on our shared commitment to a strong and sustainable American steel industry,” Crawford and Mrvan stated.

They noted their support for the actions already taken by the Trump administration to strengthen and expand Section 232 measures, but urged it “not to accept any arrangements that will weaken the program and undermine the President’s national security objectives.”

Pushing further, the Steel Caucus leaders implored the Commerce Secretary and USTR “to continue promoting policies that crack down on unfair trade practices, close prior loopholes that have directly harmed domestic producers, and allow the American steel industry and its workers to thrive.”

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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