Steel Industry Cries for Help Beyond Trump Tariff ‘Band-Aid’

  • U.S. needs to work with allies, industry association says
  • Infrastructure spending, aid to laid-off workers among ideas
A finished steel coil is lifted at a plant in Farrell, Pennsylvania.Photographer: Allison Farrand/Bloomberg
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Donald Trump claims his tariffs saved U.S. steel companies. But with production still slumping and jobs near an all-time low, the iconic U.S. industry is seeking a long-term solution.

The 25% tariffs Trump introduced in March 2018 gave a brief jolt to American steel producers. U.S. Steel’s annual profit more than doubled that year and the domestic steel price hit the highest in a decade. Jobs rose as much as 9% from the all-time low in April 2017, the month Trump launched a national security investigation into steel imports.