Trump’s 50 Percent Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Take Effect, Aimed at Boosting US Production

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum went into effect at midnight on June 4, following through on last week’s announcement at a U.S. Steel facility. The measure, enacted through an executive order signed on Monday, doubles the previous 25 percent rate and is intended to boost domestic production. “In my judgment, the increased tariffs will more effectively counter foreign countries that continue to offload low-priced, excess steel and aluminum in the United States market and thereby undercut the competitiveness of the United States steel and aluminum industries,” Trump’s proclamation read. “Although the previously imposed steel and aluminum tariffs have helped provide critical price support in the United States market, they have not yet enabled these industries to develop and maintain the rates of capacity production utilization that are necessary for the industries’ sustained health and for projected national defense needs.”...