President Trump has issued a new proclamation on March 12, 2025, regarding the imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles into the United States. This proclamation revokes certain previous proclamations related to imports from countries such as South Korea, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the EU, Japan, the UK, and Ukraine. The additional ad valorem tariffs imposed by previous proclamations are reinstated for these countries as of March 12, 2025.
The proclamation also includes adjustments to the duty rates on imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles. The ad valorem duties imposed on these articles are set to apply to imports from all countries, with certain exceptions. The Secretary of Commerce is tasked with establishing a process for including additional derivative steel articles within the scope of the ad valorem duties proclaimed.
Furthermore, the product exclusion process authorized by previous proclamations is terminated, and all existing product exclusions are revoked. Importers of steel derivative articles are required to provide necessary information to identify the steel content used in the manufacture of these articles.
The proclamation also addresses the admission of steel articles and derivative steel articles into U.S. foreign trade zones, stating that they must be admitted as “privileged foreign status” and subject to any ad valorem rates of duty upon entry for consumption. Any misclassification resulting in non-payment of duties will be penalized, and no drawback will be available with respect to the duties imposed.
Overall, the proclamation aims to address the increasing imports of steel articles that threaten to impair the national security of the United States. It emphasizes the need for effective measures to protect the domestic steel industry and ensure national security interests are upheld.
