The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is asking the Department of Commerce (DOC) to reform the tariff exclusion process for U.S. aluminum extrusion products. The General Approved Exclusions (GAE) rules are unfair to American aluminum extruders and, as a result, foreign imports have risen 82% and market penetration now exceeds 25%, the highest level in more than a decade.
In 2018, the DOC reported that rising aluminum imports “are weakening our internal economy and threaten to impair the national security as defined in Section 232” and imposed a 10% tariff in response. As a result, aluminum imports fell by 31% and domestic production rose by nearly a billion dollars between 2018-2021. As such, the DOC noted in public remarks that “the data show that those tariffs have been effective.” Although these tariffs have curbed unfair foreign competition for primary aluminum producers, they have not sufficiently protected domestic aluminum extruders. This is because the DOC has adopted overly broad tariff exclusion rules.
The AEC commended Senator Tom Cotton for leading this effort to ask the DOC to address the serious threats to the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry and its workers from untariffed imports. Further, the AEC appreciates the support of senators Mitt Romney, Sherrod Brown, Debbie Stabenow, Rafael Warnock, Bob Casey, and Marco Rubio for also signing the letter. The aluminum extrusion industry plays a vital role in many sectors of the U.S. economy as well as in its defense and deserves fair and just treatment from the federal government.
Read the full article
