🏭Commerce Department raises steel tariffs as EU files WTO complaint

Manufacturing companies that need steel for cars, appliances, and construction face doubled input costs that they pass to consumers through higher prices. Meanwhile, domestic steel companies like U.S. Steel and Nucor earn massive profits from artificial price protection, benefiting shareholders at the expense of everyone else who uses steel.

European Union and other trading partners respond to steel tariffs by targeting American soybeans, wheat, and pork exports that support rural Republican constituencies. Farmers lose international market share permanently as foreign buyers develop alternative suppliers, costing agricultural communities billions in long-term revenue.

Trump invoked Section 232 national security powers to justify steel tariffs despite America importing steel from close allies like Canada and Germany. This precedent allows presidents to declare any industry critical to national security, effectively eliminating congressional oversight of trade policy through emergency authority abuse.

Steel tariff escalation encourages other nations to adopt similar measures, destroying the integrated global economy that made goods affordable for American consumers. Manufacturing costs increase worldwide as countries prioritize domestic production over efficient international specialization, reducing living standards globally.