“Re-establishing a more level playing field for domestic producers is critical but a Section 232 tariff of 50 per cent threatens to undermine the very industry the administration aims to support. The Aluminum Association, which represents the full industry supply chain and 70 per cent of domestic production, urges the administration to reconsider today's decision given the negative impact it will have on manufacturers.
Aluminium and steel are fundamentally different metals with distinct supply chains, market dynamics and strategic challenges. A one-size-fits-all approach to trade policy for these strategic materials risks unintended consequences for the U.S. economy and our national defence. Critically, a 50 per cent tariff rate could also raise prices for consumers, decrease demand and undermine the aluminium industry’s ability to serve the U.S. defence industrial base. Aluminium firms need a reliable supply of metal, protection from transhipped metal from non-market economies, and certainty in the tariff landscape.
