We welcome and applaud your actions to restore the integrity of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and your commitment to restoring a level playing field for American steel producers and their workers. We look forward to continuing to work with you and your administration to ensure the health and competitiveness of the American steel industry, which serves as the backbone of the entire manufacturing sector.
On March 27, 2025, SSINA joined the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the United States OCTG Manufacturers Association (USOMA), in a letter to President Trump expressing their strong support for his action to restore 25 percent tariffs on steel imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and his elimination of the steel Section 232 exclusion process that has been exploited as a loophole by foreign producers seeking to avoid tariffs.
The letter goes on to say that Trump’s original imposition of these Section 232 tariffs in 2018 allowed the American steel industry to restart idled mills, rehire laid-off workers, and begin investing tens of billions of dollars in new and upgraded plants, but that the many subsequent country-wide and product-specific exemptions to the tariffs eroded the effectiveness of the measures. These exemptions led to increases in steel imports and imports of downstream derivative products, once again threatening the viability of domestic steel producers and U.S. national security.
A full copy of the letter can be viewed below.
