Miércoles 24 de septiembre del 2025

The U.S. Chamber led a letter co-signed by 42 other business groups outlining concerns with the Commerce Department’s new Section 232 steel and aluminum “inclusions process” and the subsequent extension of 50% tariffs to $240 billion of imported products that contain steel and aluminum. The September 16 letter to the Commerce Department reads in part:

“While we support the Administration’s objectives of safeguarding national security and promoting American manufacturing, we urge the Department to eliminate further unpredictable expansions, provide comprehensive guidance, ensure a transparent stakeholder consultation process and make targeted determinations with a clear nexus to national security. The recent expansion was implemented without adequate notice and creates significant unintended costs, complexity, and uncertainty for U.S. businesses.”

Downstream Distress: The first round of the “inclusion” tariffs—extended to 407 HTS codes—was announced on August 15 and implemented three days later without industry consultation. Chamber members are reporting significant impacts across major sectors of the economy, including but not limited to chemicals, aerospace, recreational equipment, autos, consumer goods, and construction. The letter points out that many of the targeted derivative products are key components of U.S. supply chains that support broader administration priorities and, consequently, have implications for companies making significant investments in the United States.

Right to Rebuttal: The letter urges the Commerce Department to “significantly improve” the inclusions process before applying it further. This includes adding processes to allow for the rebuttal of an inclusion request and for the removal of a product from the derivatives list.

Manufacturers’ Misery: The signatories include broad-based groups like the Business Roundtable (BRT), National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), and the National Retail Federation (NRF) as well as sectoral groups such as Autos Drive America, American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC), Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), American Clean Power Association (ACP), Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), Consumer Technology Association (CTA), National Mining Association, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and more.