Business Interests, House Republicans Tell Trump Not to Use Broad Remedies on Steel, Aluminum

All of the remedies proposed to protect the U.S. aluminum and steel industries are overly broad, and will destroy more jobs than they create, warns a letter sent to the Trump administration Feb. 27, signed by 25 trade groups. "We understand your goal of supporting these two important sectors of our domestic manufacturing base," said farmers, auto and engine manufacturers, metal parts makers, food processors, and oil and chemical industries.

The costs imposed on manufacturers who buy these metals will lead to thousands of jobs being eliminated, and trade restrictions of this magnitude will lead to more cars, appliances, metal parts and cans being imported, said the groups. Not only that, they warned, tariffs will bring retaliation by trading partners that will further harm domestic producers of all types.

The same day, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., put out statements about a meeting they'd just had with President Donald Trump on trade. "President Trump understands the need for strong collaboration between Congress and the Administration given our Constitutional role in trade policy. I’m confident that together we will move forward with trade policies that benefit my constituents in Texas and Americans across the country," Brady's statement said. He signaled he wants "narrow and targeted remedies that address China’s distortions without hurting other U.S. industries and workers."

Reichert represents the rural areas near the urban areas of Tacoma and Seattle, Washington. While Boeing's largest Washington factory is not in his district, its needs loom large in the state. Boeing depends on exports and is a major consumer of aluminum. "I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration on an improved and updated NAFTA and holding China accountable for its unfair trade practices and overcapacity," Reichert said. "In addressing these shared priorities, we should ... take only those steps that increase the competitiveness of American businesses, workers, and farmers as they compete around the world and win. I am committed to getting these issues right for [those] whose products require access to steel and aluminum.”