Import duties on steel and aluminum imposed by Trump remain in force

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in favor of import duties on steel and aluminum under section 232 of the Trade Act, introduced in 2018 by former U.S. President Donald Trump. He thus dismissed the action of the steel importer Universal Steel Products, which sought the annulment of the duties.

Steel duty up to 25 percent

Trump imposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from most countries around the world, with tariffs on imports of steel set at 25 percent and aluminum at 10 percent. As he said at the time, high volumes of imports harm domestic production, which threatens national security. He used the Trade Act of 1962 to protect American companies during the Cold War. Article 232 of this law allows the President to restrict the import of goods that are considered a threat to national security.

Imports of US steel did not endanger, the plaintiff claimed

Universal Steel Products of New Jersey, which was affected by the increased tariffs, claimed in the lawsuit, inter alia, that steel imports did not pose an "imminent threat" to national security and that Trump exceeded its powers by applying the law to commodities such as steel and aluminum. A New York-based court said the U.S. Department of Commerce and the president had applied the law correctly. According to the court, Article 232 gives the president the opportunity to decide whether a particular import endangers national security or not.