President Trump Restores Section 232 Tariffs

On February 10, 2025, President Trump signed proclamations to reinstate the full 25% tariff on steel imports and increase tariffs on aluminum imports to 25%.¹ Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 affords the President with the authority to adjust imports being brought into the U.S. in quantities or under circumstances that threaten to impair national security. The President says the reinvigorated Section 232 tariffs "will support the program's original objective of revitalizing the domestic steel and aluminum industries and achieving sustainable capacity utilization of at least 80%." These tariffs will take effect on March 12, 2025.

The purpose of the tariffs is to enhance national security and end unfair trade practices and the global dumping of steel and aluminum. During Trump's first term, a report found that steel import levels and excess production, particularly in China, were weakening the U.S. economy.² If domestic steel and aluminum production