Tariffs removed on steel/aluminum imported from Canada/Mexico

On May 17, President Trump announced that tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico will be removed within two days. In response, Canada and Mexico agreed to remove the retaliatory tariffs they had imposed on U.S. imports.

Jointly, the U.S., Canada and Mexico also agreed to create a process for monitoring U.S. imports of steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico. If a “surge of imports occurs,” the U.S. reserves the right to reimpose the Section 232 tariffs. The three nations also agreed that any retaliatory tariffs by Canada and Mexico would be limited to steel and aluminum products.

The decision to remove the tariffs from America’s two closest trading partners is seen as key to approval of the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) that updates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Democrats and Republicans alike have been pushing for this action before considering the USMCA.

According to NAFEM President Joe Carlson, CFSP, president, Lakeside Manufacturing Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., “The Administration’s decision to remove the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico is a step in the right direction. We appreciate all our members who have worked with their elected officials and others to help achieve this goal. However, the hard work is far from complete. Tariffs on steel and aluminum from other countries, and on Chinese imports, continue to negatively impact good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs, and consumers, neither of which bodes well for a strong U.S. economy. Time and time again, we’ve seen that trade wars have no winners. NAFEM continues to urge the administration to quickly work toward a solution to unfair trade practices that does not include tariffs that ultimately hurt American workers and consumers.”