Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users to president: No new aluminum tariffs on Canada

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users issued the following statement.

“The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users strongly urges President Trump to refrain from re-imposing Section 232 tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada.  Tariffs are taxes (www.tariffsaretaxes.org), and the last thing that U.S. manufacturers need is for the government to tax an important input like aluminum while these companies are dealing with unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing is the backbone of the U.S. economy, and raising costs on aluminum-using manufacturers will result in lost jobs and a slower recovery. Imposition of quotas on imports of aluminum from Canada would have similar negative consequences for U.S. manufacturers, increasing prices and disrupting supplies.

The North American supply chain is integrated and U.S. aluminum-using manufacturers need a reliable supply of aluminum materials.  U.S. aluminum manufacturers cannot meet demand, as they can only supply approximately one-third of demand.  Most of the U.S. aluminum sector opposes reinstating tariffs because they understand that it will hurt their customers.

CAMMU continues to call on the President to terminate the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.  U.S. manufacturers have paid billions of dollars in tariffs over the past two years, money that could be used for hiring workers, capital investment and research & development, all critical elements for the manufacturing sector to recover from the recession caused by the pandemic.