SMA: “Section 232 Should Stay in Place”

The Steel Manufacturers Association remains a strong supporter of Section 232, even as the tariffs face increased scrutiny as a stumbling block to passage of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

SMA President Phil Bell defends the 25 percent tariffs on steel imports from critics who contend they unfairly tax downstream steel consumers. “The gloom and doom scenarios of massive job losses and downstream closures have been wildly overstated and based on some questionable assumptions,” Bell told Steel Market Update. “Downstream industry sectors that use steel are actually doing pretty well.”