House Steel Advocates Say More Downstream Products Must Go on Section 232 List
Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., the leaders of the Congressional Steel Caucus, told Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo that fabricated structural steel and prestressed concrete strand need to be subject to 25% Section 232 tariffs, because "bad actors" are exporting the goods to avoid the 25% tariffs on steel.
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The men said that imports of fabricated structural steel nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023, and PC strand has increased by 14% on average.
"Following the implementation of Section 232 measures, Commerce correctly identified surging imports of derivative steel products as a circumvention of the rule. We appreciate the government’s diligence across two administrations to implement and then defend in court an expansion of Section 232 to cover certain steel derivative products. Consistent with these previous actions, we believe FSS and PC Strand should be included with the other derivative products protected by Section 232, which includes steel nails, tacks, drawing pins, corrugated nails, and staples," they wrote.
Caucus chairman Crawford said in the press release, “Thanks to the Section 232 Tariffs, American steel producers have been able to compete on a far more level playing field than ever before. Unfortunately, foreign entities have been sidestepping these tariffs by flooding the market with derivative steel products. We have an obligation to protect the American steel industry from these unfair practices.”