NEWS

On September 16, the U.S. Chamber signed a multi-association letter highlighting issues within the Commerce Department’s new Section 232 steel and aluminum “Inclusions Process.”

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Dear Under Secretary Kessler,

We write to express concern over the Commerce Department’s new Section 232 steel and aluminum “Inclusions Process” and the subsequent expansion of 50% tariffs on 407 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes comprising roughly $240 billion of imports. While we support the Administration’s objectives of safeguarding national security and promoting American manufacturing, we urge the Department to eliminate further unpredictable expansions, provide comprehensive guidance, ensure a transparent stakeholder consultation process and make targeted determinations with a clear nexus to national security. The recent expansion was implemented without adequate notice and creates significant unintended costs, complexity, and uncertainty for U.S. businesses.

The sudden expansion of tariffs with limited industry consultation increases costs by generating significant compliance burdens for businesses of all sizes, including those that do not produce steel and aluminum products. Manufacturers account for more than half of all U.S. imports, and these imports are very often products that are not available from domestic sources in sufficient quantities or supplied quickly enough to meet operational timelines. The harm to U.S. employment among downstream producers of items now covered will ultimately be significant, including with respect to those that are key to powering critical industries and the broader U.S. economy.

Read full letter here.