President Donald Trump decided to sharply raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday, canceling duty-free exemptions and quotas for key suppliers from Canada, Mexico, Brazil and other countries, a decision that could increase the risk of a multi-country trade war.
President Trump signed executive orders raising tariffs on aluminum imports from 10% to 25%. His action reinstates a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports that entered the United States duty-free, based on existing agreements and thousands of exemptions on other products.
The orders are extensions of tariffs based on the National Security Act 232, signed by President Trump in 2018 to protect steel and aluminum producers. A White House official said the exemptions had weakened the effectiveness of these measures, A2 writes.
During his first term, President Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, but later lifted the taxes for several trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Former President Joe Biden later lifted tariffs on Britain, Japan and the European Union. Steel capacity utilization in the United States has fallen in recent years.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said the new tariffs would be in addition to existing duties on steel and aluminum.
President Trump on Monday also imposed a new standard requiring steel and aluminum imports to be processed according to North American standards before entering the country, to prevent substandard Chinese steel from entering the United States.
President Trump's trade adviser, Peter Navarro, said the measures would help American steel and aluminum producers and support America's economic and national security. "The new steel and aluminum tariffs will end low-quality imports of these products, boost domestic production, and ensure our steel and aluminum industries are pillars of America's economic and national security," he told reporters. "This is not just about trade. It's about ensuring that America never has to rely on other countries for critical industries like steel and aluminum."
President Trump initially announced his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Sunday, adding that he would announce other reciprocal tariffs later in the week on United States trading partners./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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