Section 232 Tariffs back on for Brazil and Argentina

Section 232 Tariffs back on for Brazil and Argentina

On December 2, 2019, President Trump tweeted the United States would restore Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina.

Brazil and Argentina have been presiding over a massive devaluation of their currencies. which is not good for our farmers. Therefore, effective immediately, I will restore the Tariffs on all Steel & Aluminum that is shipped into the U.S. from those countries. The Federal….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2019

Background

In 2018, President Trump imposed additional duty rates of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports from almost all countries.  Since then, steel import exemptions have been granted to Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, Brazil and Argentina.  All exemptions have an absolute quota cap except for steel imports from Australia.  Moreover, aluminum import exemptions have been granted to Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Australia.  These exemptions also have an absolute quota cap except for aluminum imports from Argentina.

Exclusions

An organization can petition for an exclusion.  As stated by the Federal Register, anybody looking to submit exclusion requests, objections to exclusion requests, rebuttals and surrebuttals must use the new “232 Exclusion Portal,” which went live in June 2019.  The DOC has created resources and guides to help importers navigate their way through the process making it easier to file an exclusion.  The portal reflects a significant improvement.  You can download the instructional guide here.  If you are still looking for help, Scarbrough Consulting can help make your job easier.  Please email consulting@scarbrough-intl.com for a free 20 minute consultation.