New Dem Leaders Ask Raimondo, Tai to Quickly Reach Settlement With Japan, UK on Section 232

Fourteen pro-trade House Democrats are asking Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to quickly advance discussions on how tariffs on Japanese and British steel and aluminum could be lifted. "[D]ownstream users continue to face astonishingly high prices in steel and aluminum," wrote the group, which is led by Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state.

"We share your concerns with China’s overcapacity in the steel and aluminum industries. That said, imposing tariffs on our closest allies puts us at odds with our friends and strategic partners around the world, weakens our ability to counter China’s trade abuses, and places American workers and manufacturers on an uneven playing field by artificially pushing U.S. prices far above the global average. Eliminating these tariffs will help the U.S. compete and ease inflationary pressures for American families, workers, and manufacturers," they wrote Dec. 21.

“Ending misguided Trump-era Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from U.S. allies and trading partners will provide much needed relief for American workers, families, and manufacturers,” DelBene said in a press release announcing the letter. “The U.S. is made stronger and safer through our economic ties with our allies and close trading partners, and the New Democrat Coalition looks forward to continuing to work with Secretary Raimondo and Ambassador Tai to advance a pro-growth trade agenda that promotes American businesses, creates jobs, and strengthens American leadership of the global rules-based order.”