Officials Weigh In

“We have seen what happened in the steel and solar industries when existing mechanisms were too slow or ill-suited to effectively address the distortions wrought by China’s targeting of those sectors.”-U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in March 2022. Senate Finance Committee Hearing on the President’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda

“At the same time, we are also working towards innovative arrangements with our allies and like-minded partners to strengthen our resilience.For example, the global arrangement we are currently negotiating with the EU will be world’s first sectoral arrangement on steel and aluminum trade to tackle both emissions and non-market excess capacity.” -U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in March 2022. Senate Finance Committee Hearing on the President’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda”

“The tariffs on steel and aluminum have absolutely been helping steel and aluminum manufacturers and have been effective in that regard.”- Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo in March 2021. NPR’s All Things Considered

“The 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum have in fact helped save American jobs in the steel and aluminum industries.” -Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo in April 2021. White House Press Briefing

“The maintenance of a strong U.S. steel industry will require effective action to address global steel overcapacity” and she believes that “tariffs are legitimate tool in the trade toolbox.” -U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in February  2021. USTR Confirmation Hearing written responses

“I think that with respect to the 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum that you mentioned we have to acknowledge that we have overall a very significant global marketplace problem in the steel and aluminum markets that are driven primarily by China’s overcapacity”- U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in February 2021. USTR Senate Confirmation Hearing

“Take aggressive trade enforcement actions against China or any other country seeking to undercut American manufacturing through unfair practices, including currency manipulation, anti-competitive dumping, state-owned company abuses, or unfair subsidies.”- President Biden. President Joe Biden’s “Made in All of America” plan

“China’s oversupply and flooding their market and our market with cheap steel that is the national threat”- Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo in May 2021. Dave Rubenstein Show

“In the case of the 232’s the issue that we need to resolve is the global overcapacity problem. And … we really do need to work with others especially the European Union on the overall steel overcapacity problem. So, what I am hoping is that they see that problem and they see it to be as serious a challenge to our ability to produce and compete in steelmaking as we see it.” U.S Trade Representative, Katherine Tai. April 2021. Senate Appropriations Hearing

“Steel and aluminum as basic industrial inputs are critical to a country’s national security.” U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in June 2021 EU-US Summit

“…those tariffs have been effective at helping American workers in the steel industry. You know folks are back to work, we’re seeing steel operations back up to capacity, or producing more, so we cannot simply say, we’re going to get rid of the tariffs, because we need to protect our steel industry and those workers.” Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo in July 2021. Bloomberg