Imports are down. U.S. domestic production needs to increase.



Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States

A Presidential Docuмent by the Executive Office of the President on 03/15/2018


https://www.federalregister.gov/docuмents/2018/03/15/2018-05478/adjusting-imports-of-steel-into-the-united-states

8. In the exercise of these authorities, I have decided to adjust the imports of steel articles by imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on steel articles, as defined below, imported from all countries except Canada and Mexico. In my judgment, this tariff is necessary and appropriate in light of the many factors I have considered, including the Secretary's report, updated import and production numbers for 2017, the failure of countries to agree on measures to reduce global excess capacity, the continued high level of imports since the beginning of the year, and special circuмstances that exist with respect to Canada and Mexico. This relief will help our domestic steel industry to revive idled facilities, open closed mills, preserve necessary skills by hiring new steel workers, and maintain or increase production, which will reduce our Nation's need to rely on foreign producers for steel and ensure that domestic producers can continue to supply all the steel necessary for critical industries and national defense. Under current circuмstances, this tariff is necessary and appropriate to address the threat that imports of steel articles pose to the national security.

Adjusting Imports of Derivative Aluminum Articles and Derivative Steel Articles Into the United States

A Presidential Docuмent by the Executive Office of the President on 01/29/2020


https://www.federalregister.gov/docuмents/2020/01/29/2020-01806/adjusting-imports-of-derivative-aluminum-articles-and-derivative-steel-articles-into-the-united

5. The Secretary has informed me that domestic steel producers' capacity utilization has not stabilized for an extended period of time at or above the 80 percent capacity utilization level identified in his report as necessary to remove the threatened impairment of the national security. Stabilizing at that level is important to provide the industry with a reasonable expectation that market conditions will prevail long enough to justify the investment necessary to ramp up production to a sustainable and profitable level. Capacity utilization in the aluminum industry has improved, but it is still below the target capacity utilization that the Secretary recommended in his report.

Although imports of aluminum articles and steel articles have declined since the imposition of the tariffs and quotas, the Secretary has informed me that imports of certain derivatives of aluminum articles and imports of certain derivatives of steel articles have significantly increased since the imposition of the tariffs and quotas. The net effect of the increase of imports of these derivatives has been to erode the customer base for U.S. producers of aluminum and steel and undermine the purpose of the proclamations adjusting imports of aluminum and steel articles to remove the threatened impairment of the national security.

(. . .)

9. Based on the Secretary's assessments, I have concluded that it is necessary and appropriate in light of our national security interests to adjust the tariffs imposed by previous proclamations to apply to the derivatives of aluminum articles and steel articles described in Annex I and Annex II to this proclamation.

It's all across the board. I work in sheet metal manufacturing. We have almost more work than we can handle, but because steel prices are so high all over, we're having trouble getting the raw material we need.