U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) spearheaded a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging an end to the federal government’s steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico because they contradict a recently signed trade agreement with the countries, which have taken retaliatory measures against the United States.
“American farmers, manufacturers, workers, and consumers will continue to be harmed, especially by the retaliatory measures, until an agreement is reached to lift the tariffs,” wrote Rep. Walorski and seven other members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee in a Dec. 18 letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer.
“[W]e urge you to put the highest priority on lifting the steel and aluminum tariffs and retaliation entirely as soon as possible,” wrote the lawmakers, who included U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), and Ron Kind (D-WI).
Specifically, the members asked that Lighthizer reach a negotiated solution regarding the steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. government set this year under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 on Mexico and Canada. They noted that the administration previously has done so throughout 2018 “to the success of negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has utilized Section 232 to impose tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum following a U.S. Commerce Department investigation showing the metals posed a threat to U.S. national security because they degrade the American industrial base. Trump also used Section 232 to justify an investigation into whether imported uranium and automobiles pose a national security threat and should be limited.
And although Trump recently signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), “the tariffs – and the retaliation from Mexico and Canada – remain in place,” according to the lawmakers.
The House members told the USTR they look forward to having more discussions about the situation “as we continue to review all aspects of the USMCA.”
But in the meantime, they wrote, the USTR should lift the steel and aluminum tariffs, “certainly before congressional consideration.”