June 29, 2020
Aluminum Association Calls On Trump Administration To Continue Section 232 Exemptions For Mexico And Canada
The Aluminum Association published an open letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Thursday seeking to convince the Trump Administration to continue excepting North American producers from Section 232 aluminum tariffs.
The letter, which was signed by more than a dozen CEOs and other executive officers from companies all along the aluminum value chain, praises the administration for exempting Canada and Mexico from Section 232 aluminum tariffs early on. The letter notes that fully 97 percent of the jobs held in the United States in the aluminum industry are in mid- and downstream portions of the value chain, which are highly reliant upon imported aluminum.
“We strongly oppose any trade actions involving Canadian aluminum.”
Per the Association, the motivation for the letter was countering claims of a surge in imports in recent months. The Association notes that, according to the government’s own data, imports from suppliers in adjacent countries this year are generally in line with imports in recent years.
“Today’s letter shows an industry united in support of the continued free flow of metal within North America,” opined the Aluminum Association’s president and CEO Tom Dobbins. “After all of the hard work that has gone into making the USMCA a reality, it would be a shame to move backward by reapplying tariffs or quotas on aluminum. We trust that the administration will heed the advice of representatives from the impacted industry who recognize that this action would only hurt U.S. aluminum companies and workers.”