On March 19, PESA joined the Alliance for Competitive Steel and Aluminum Tariffs (ACSAT), which represents steel and aluminum downstream users and U.S. exporters. ACSAT is being led by the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and comprised of more than 40 trade associations (including PESA, IPAA and API). ACSAT’s objective is to promote policies that drive competitive U.S. steel/aluminum production, assist workers impacted by trade, and eliminate prolonged import protection measures (i.e., tariffs, see Trump Administration Levies Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum).
Currently ACSAT is working to:
- Expand the list of countries temporarily exempted from the steel and aluminum tariffs (currently Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Australia, Argentina and Brazil).
- Extend the temporary exemption date of May 1, 2018, for the countries listed above.
- Reduce the regulatory burden of obtaining a product exclusion from the tariffs.
In addition, ACSAT is working with policymakers in Congress and the Trump Administration to formulate effective policies that address the challenges of international trade.
The Trump Administration is also considering imposing unilateral sanctions on a wide array of imports from China in retaliation for its discriminatory restrictions on U.S businesses (see Federal Register notice of April 6 from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative). While there is general agreement that China’s trade practices are damaging to companies around the globe, imposing unilateral sanctions will only escalate the U.S.-China trade conflict.
PESA is working with a coalition of trade associations to encourage the Administration to take a multilateral approach to the China trade issue. The coalition promotes U.S. collaboration with key trading partners – Europe, Japan and others – to find effective policy solutions whichaddress the concerns of Chinese trade practices, but do not negatively impact the economy, employment levels or consumers.
The PESA International Trade Policy Subcommittee will continue to oversee PESA’s involvement in ACSAT and the potential Chinese tariffs.
Please contact PESA VP Government Affairs Tim Tarpley with questions.
