US steelmakers no longer count on Trump platform implementation

Steelworkers from across the country have lashed out at Washington this week to ask their legislators: What's going on with the Trump Section 232 investigation?

As a candidate, President Donald Trump spoke harshly about trade and told blue collars that he would bring jobs back to metallurgy. And, at the beginning of his presidency, it seemed that steel pipes and steel sheet would be the focus.

The investigation, which could lead to tariffs, duties or other measures, usually takes 270 days, but the administration said it is quickly tracking the decision and plans to publish the results by the end of June.

To summarize the expected release of the results, the market was filled with speculation about what Section 232 has to offer. For several weeks it seemed like a steelmaking version of The Boy Who Wried Wolf, except there was more talk about tariff quotas in this case. than real measures.

The results were then postponed indefinitely, and Trump told the Wall Street Journal in July that the administration is "waiting for us to finish between health care and taxes and perhaps even infrastructure" to decide if there is a threat to national security. USA.

"The delay in action is devastating," United Steelworkers vice president Tom Conway said in a statement. “Factories are closing, jobs are being lost, communities are injured and politicians are postponing. There are now rumors that action is being delayed, so Congress may focus on tax reform. This is an insult to hardworking men and women whose jobs depend on the industry. "