No reprieve from steel tariffs in sight despite lobbying efforts
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The White House granted a temporary reprieve for many of its tariffs on Canada and Mexico last week, but a similar pause seems less likely for revamped global steel and aluminum tariffs set to go into effect Wednesday. President Trump’s team has repeatedly said there would be no exceptions or exemptions from the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum.
In internal discussions and conversations with industry and labor groups, the administration appears to be sticking to that line, at least for now, say people familiar with conversations. “I’ve seen him do steel and aluminum tariffs before, so I have no reason to not expect that will take place," said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.), a close Trump ally who served as ambassador to Japan during his first term.
The tariff move this week would increase levies on aluminum and tighten loopholes for existing tariffs. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum in 2018. During his first term, and subsequently under the Biden administration, the U.S.
negotiated exclusions and duty-free quotas for allied nations—including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, the EU, and the U.K.—as well as a litany of individual companies that received exemptions for specific products. Last month, Trump issued a proclamation increasing the aluminum tariffs from 10% to 25%, effective March 12. He directed the Commerce secretary to end all exemptions to the steel and aluminum levies on that date, and prohibited new ones.
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