Category: Government/Policy

The British government has taken longs producer British Steel back into public ownership, arguing it will protect the future of steel production in the UK.

The US Senate Finance Committee has advanced the nominations of five nominees to the US the International Trade Commission. They will now be considered by the full Senate.

CSPA says the global challenge of steel overcapacity is no longer simply a trade issue as it looks to the current USMCA review.

The Office of the US Trade Representative has finalized a 25% Section 301 tariff on all goods imported from Brazil. Importantly for the US steel industry, pig iron has received an exemption from the tariff.

Testimony at last week’s Section 301 hearing put Brazilian pig iron in the spotlight. Domestic steelmakers and Brazilian suppliers warned that proposed forced labor tariffs would hit a critical US input for which there is no domestic substitute.

The Commerce Department has opened a new Section 232 national security investigation of anthracite and metallurgical coal imports. The department is seeking detailed input from the industry on supply risks, import dependence, and potential national security impacts.

Notably, pig iron is not excluded from the proposed Brazil measures. This would represent a change from the Brazil EEPA tariffs, which excluded pig iron.

The Mexican government is pushing to have steel and auto tariffs removed in its next round of USMCA negotiations with the US, according to a report in El Pais.

Wire rod imports from Algeria face new countervailing duties (CVDs) in the US.

The Canadian government has selected a German firm to build submarines, passing on a contract from a South Korean company linked with Algoma Steel.

The investigation follows requests from US producers Nucor and Steel Dynamics.

Rebar imports from Algeria are now subject to stiff countervailing duties (CVDs).

Steel trade groups and unions in the US have weighed in on the USMCA review process, as the US announced it would not renew the trade pact in its current form.

We asked our readers what they thought the outcome of the ongoing USMCA talks might be as far as Section 232 tariffs go. Very few see an elimination of tariffs as likely.

The US government did not agree to renew the USMCA agreement in its current form, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday.

As all these initiatives unfold, one is left with the feeling that disruption of the global order is their primary purpose. As the old order is destroyed, it is time to think carefully about what will take its place.

Domestic steelmakers told the Congressional Steel Caucus that strong trade enforcement and Section 232 tariffs continue to drive higher production, new investment, and facility restarts nationwide.

Mexico’s federal government is moving to implement its new steel-industry promotion pact. Officials held a high-level plenary session to align public procurement plans with domestic steel capacity.

SMU’s June 12 Flat-Rolled Steel Buyers’ Survey shows a divided steel community on the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies, emerging but uneven signs of reshoring, and near-universal cost pressures tied to the Iran conflict.

President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he may not renew the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.

The Trump tariffs have driven the mundane world of traditional “trade remedies” off the front pages. But antidumping and countervailing duty measures are still with us, and new cases are on the upswing lately.

The United States has repeatedly called for stronger action to protect North American manufacturing. Canadian steel agrees. We are ready to do the work necessary. Now Washington must remove the tariffs that stand in the way.

One possible reason for the lull in activity is the ambiguity of the tariff treatment of Brazilian pig iron following an announcement last week from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) about Section 301 tariffs.

The next few months are poised to be momentous for US trade and tariff policy. Of note, the United States, Mexico, and Canada are beginning the six-year review of the US-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA).

Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted the Canadian and US governments should cooperate more closely on auto manufacturing, steel, critical minerals and aluminum.

The forced-labor and Brazil 301 actions are aimed more at finished goods supply chains, not raw metals.

President Donald Trump issued a June 1 proclamation modifying Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper. He pointed to new Commerce Department recommendations and “recent circumstances” affecting US users of industrial and agricultural equipment.

If an industry suffers from high labor and energy costs, inefficient facilities, or lower productivity, tariffs do not solve those problems. They only mask them, transferring costs from inefficient producers to consumers.

Steel imports could become even more prohibitive, facing even higher tariffs, pending the outcome of the Trump administration’s Section 301 investigation.

The tin mill trade case brought by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers is moving forward after a key vote.