The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users (CAMMU) issued the following statement against enacting the Section 232 tariffs against Canada:

“The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users strongly urges President Trump to refrain from re-imposing Section 232 tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada. Tariffs are taxes (www.tariffsaretaxes.org), and the last thing that U.S. manufacturers need is for the government to tax an important input like aluminum while these companies are dealing with unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing is the backbone of the U.S. economy, and raising costs on aluminum-using manufacturers will result in lost jobs and a slower recovery. Imposition of quotas on imports of aluminum from Canada would have similar negative consequences for U.S. manufacturers, increasing prices and disrupting supplies.

The North American supply chain is integrated and U.S. aluminum-using manufacturers need a reliable supply of aluminum materials.  U.S. aluminum manufacturers cannot meet demand, as they can only supply approximately one-third of demand. Most of the U.S. aluminum sector opposes reinstating tariffs because they understand that it will hurt their customers.