Steel Tariffs Helped the U.S. Steel Industry

Regarding “Steel Tariffs’ Boost Appears Short-Lived” (U.S. News, Oct. 29): The tariffs worked, lowering the market share of imported steel, increasing domestic capacity-utilization rates, allowing idled facilities to be restarted and encouraging the industry to make billions of dollars of investments in new and upgraded steel facilities. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, steel demand and raw steelmaking capacity utilization plunged. American steelmakers were forced to close plants, lay off workers and delay investment activity. But if not for the tariffs, the impact would have been far worse.