Section 232 tariffs on a new list of steel and aluminum “derivatives” outside of Chapters 73 and 76 are now set to take effect, after the Commerce Department released a notice that “adequate systems are in place to fully, efficiently, and expediently process and collect tariff revenue for covered articles for both steel and aluminum.”
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the Ontario premier rolled back a surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S. and told reporters at the White House that he "probably" wouldn't increase to 50% the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum set to take effect on March 12, as he had threatened about five hours earlier.
President Donald Trump threatened to double Section 232 tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, starting March 12, after Ontario placed a 25% surcharge on electricity exported to Michigan, Minnesota and New York. However, Ontario Premier Rob Ford later dropped the surcharge, and Trump told White House reporters he "probably" would not follow through with the threat as a result.
The U.S. will double tariffs slated to take effect March 12 on Canadian aluminum and steel, from 25% to 50%, in response to Ontario's decision to place 25% export surcharges on electricity purchased in the U.S., President Donald Trump said today on Truth Social.
All Section 232 quota and tariff-rate quota entries must be presented to CBP by 4:30 p.m. today, local port time, to avoid tariffs that snap back into effect March 12 for certain countries, said CBP in a CSMS message. While Section 232 country exemptions and TRQs for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, EU countries, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the U.K. expire at midnight, CBP regulations require that quota entries be filed only during CBP’s official office hours.
Section 232 tariffs on the new steel and aluminum “derivatives” outside of Chapters 73 and 76 will take effect at 12:01 a.m. tonight, CBP said in a pair of CSMS messages. The March 12 effective date is in line with the other Section 232 duty increases announced in February, including an end to all country-specific quotas and exclusions and an increase in aluminum tariffs to 25%.
Elevated import volumes at major U.S. ports could persist through this spring "amid continuing tariff turmoil" before volumes face potential year-over-year drops over the summer, according to the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The United States is interested in negotiating a new free trade agreement with India, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told an Indian audience on March 8.
Two pro-trade Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee reintroduced a bill that would restrict the president's ability to use Section 232 to impose tariffs without Congress' consent. Four other House Democrats are co-sponsoring the bill.
CBP has released its March 5 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 10), which includes a ruling action involving the revocation of one ruling letter and revocation of treatment relating to the tariff classification of women's pants. Also included are two Court of International Trade slip opinions.