GAIN Statement on Steel and Aluminum 232 Reports
Earlier today Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross released the Department’s Steel and Aluminum 232 Reports which recommends significant tariffs on imported steel. Although the Department believes this would lead to increased domestic steel production capacity, it would also most certainly raise the costs of the raw materials needed to build and restore our nation’s infrastructure and ultimately cost taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars, and construction workers lost opportunities.
Below is a statement from the GAIN Coalition that you can attribute to me, Craig Stevens.
“Although we share the Trump Administration’s goal of revitalizing our nation’s manufacturing sector, these proposed tariffs on steel, if implemented, would have significant deleterious effects on the ability to build out our nation’s infrastructure. These tariffs would raise the costs of every project – costs passed on to taxpayers and consumers. It would also increase the wait time for domestically-sourced materials, leaving construction workers out of luck as major projects are stalled. While we support the aim of increasing U.S. steel production, we hope that the Administration can determine a path forward that doesn’t cost American jobs, excess money, or lost opportunity in the near term.”
