Sen. Bernie Moreno is calling on President Donald Trump to broaden his steel imports to include steel used in imported appliances, Semafor reports.
The Ohio Republican on Thursday sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler citing trade data showing that appliance imports from four Asian countries who themselves import major amounts of steel from China have doubled since 2018, when Trump first imposed steel tariffs.
The senator said that these appliance imports allow countries to skirt steel tariffs and undercut American appliance makers and called on the Trump administration "to extend the section 232 tariffs on steel derivatives to cover the full value of imported steel-containing appliances."
"It is critical that these orders from U.S. appliance manufacturers remain strong to support the goal of 80% capacity utilization in the U.S. steel industry," Moreno wrote. "Taking action against these imports would benefit many U.S. industries, including companies in Ohio like Whirlpool, and lead to more good jobs, more consumption of U.S. steel, and a positive ripple effect through our economy."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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