Commerce sends Trump long-awaited steel report

The Commerce Department has sent President Trump the long-awaited results of its investigation into the national security implications of steel imports.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross submitted the report Thursday night, which gives the president 90 days to decide whether to take any action on some steel importers.

With the investigation on his desk, Trump will have to determine whether to assess penalties under Section 232 of a 1962 trade law that gives the president the power to apply higher tariffs and quotas on imported steel for national security reasons.

{mosads}Last year, Trump told reporters that he may slap tariffs, quotas or a combination of both on countries he thinks are endangering the nation’s security as part of his campaign promise to better protect domestic steel producers.

After Trump makes a decision, the Commerce Department will publish a summary of the report in the Federal Register and make the report available to the public.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), who called for the Trump administration to make the results public, said the long overdue report “is hardly enough to fulfill the promise to stick up for the American worker.”

“President Trump promised to crack down on predatory trade practices from countries like China that massively subsidize their steel and aluminum products and hurt American workers, but there is zero evidence that he or his administration is following through on that promise in a meaningful way,” he said. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who has for months been calling on the White House to take action, urged Trump to move swiftly.

“Now, the president must take strong actions that provide long-lasting relief aimed at China’s steel overcapacity,” Brown said in a statement on Friday.

“We know the delay and uncertainty around this case have hurt American companies, and a swift decision is critical to U.S. jobs and our domestic steel industry,” he said. 

World Trade Organization members have urged more transparency from the United States on the direction of the investigation while urging restraint in any decisions, noting the potential negative global trade implications. 

The Commerce Department launched its investigation in April.

In September, Ross said that the steel decision would wait until after the tax bill went through Congress.