The CEO of a major American steel company wrote to President Trump on Friday, urging him not to provide exceptions or exclusions for steel tariffs scheduled to come into effect on March 12th.
The letter, obtained by News Nation, has been signed by CEOs of companies such as the US Steel Corporation, Cleveland Cliff and Nucor.
The letter said that while the steel tariffs enacted by Trump in his first term were welcomed, “subsequent negotiations opened the door to renew the increase in import volumes and diluted the effectiveness of the program.”
“The result has once again been exposed to the weakened US steel industry, once again exposed to the global steel oversupply crisis,” the letter added.
The CEO told Trump that his February 10 declaration, which fully reinstated a 25% tariff, was “a correct response to this global challenge.”
“We encourage you to resist any exceptions or requests for exclusion and ask that you stand strong on behalf of American steel,” the letter states.
The CEO said the move would “invigorate” the US steel industry, known as a “national security issue.”
The Trump administration is asking for it Revive the policy It was enacted during the president's first term, and it now includes a 25% tariff on all steel imports.
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the European Union, Ukraine and the UK were exempt from taxes on steel and aluminum imports during the first Trump administration. This time, the administration has ruled out “preventing tariffs from becoming effective.”
Trump also plans to raise the original 10% tariff on aluminum imports from 2018. This policy differs from his previous directives, and is imposed on all countries around the world.
The proposed tariffs in the president's proposed industry have caused international uproars, and some global leaders call it a trade war. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called tariffs “silly” and Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum warned of retaliatory tariffs. Trump delayed the taxes set to hit Mexico until April.
