American steel executives want President Donald Trump not to backtrack on his decision to tighten steel and aluminum tariffs, which are slated to take effect beginning Wednesday.
“We urge you to resist any requests for exceptions or exclusions and to continue standing strong on behalf of American steel,” the steel CEOs said in a letter to the president Friday. It was signed by top executives of the biggest U.S. steel companies, including Leon Topalian at Nucor Corp., Lourenco Goncalves at Cleveland-Cliffs, David Burritt at U.S. Steel and five others.
The letter was sent just a day after the president announced he was rolling back major chunks of the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico he’d levied just days before, under pressure from automakers, farmers and other industries.
Trump announced in February he intended to dramatically tighten the tariffs he imposed on steel and aluminum in 2018 using a law known as Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Act, which allows the president to restrict imports to protect national security.
