Leibowitz on Trade: Product Exclusion Process Off to a Shaky Start

Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington:

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reported to the Senate Finance Committee last week that companies had submitted 20,003 product exclusion requests for steel and 2,503 for aluminum, seeking relief from tariffs on products they maintain are not sufficiently available in the United States. The Trump administration has imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. As of June 20, Commerce had posted 8,168 of the exclusion requests online and had rejected 2,513, in most cases stating there was “insufficient information to verify the product description and/or HTSUS code.”