Republican House Members Argue Against Tariffs on Electric Transformers
Five Republican House members told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in an Oct. 23 letter that the importation of electrical transformers and transformer cores is not a national security issue, and that the increase in imports of the goods from Canada and Mexico is a logical consequence of putting 25% tariffs on the steel used to make these goods. The letter, led by Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va., said that adding Section 232 tariffs could put 15,000 transformer industry jobs at risk. Riggleman was defeated in his primary. Reps. Benjamin Cline and Morgan Griffith, both of Virginia; Dan Bishop of North Carolina; and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas also signed.
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“Section 232 import restrictions would not remedy the operations of the sole current manufacturer of grain oriented electrical steel in the United States and will certainly worsen the problems of the downstream U.S. industries that will be affected,” the letter continued.
The Core Coalition, a transformer industry alliance, heralded the letter, and noted that senators, too, have argued this Section 232 investigation should not lead to tariffs. The Commerce Department declined to comment.