More than 15 CEOs and other senior executives representing the entire aluminium industry value chain in the United States sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on 25th June’20, calling for continued quota-free Section 232 tariff exemptions for aluminium in North America.
Last year, the Donald Trump administration wisely removed these tariffs amid U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations. The USMCA is slated to enter into force next week on 1st July.
The letter, whose signatories represent companies from the Aluminium Association's Board of Directors, comes after recent claims of a “surge” of primary aluminium imports from Canada into the U.S. The Aluminum Association previously released U.S. government data demonstrating that current import levels are largely consistent with historical trends and market fundamentals.
Signatories included:
In a statement, Tom Dobbins, Aluminum Association President & CEO said: “Today’s letter shows an industry united in support of the continued free flow of metal within North America. After all of the hard work that has gone into making the USMCA a reality, it would be a shame to move backwards by reapplying tariffs or quotas on aluminium. We trust that the administration will heed the advice of representatives from the impacted industry who recognize that this action would only hurt U.S. aluminium companies and workers.”
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