05.17.19

Hoeven: Administration Lifts Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Tariffs on Canada, Mexico

Senator Led North Dakota Delegation in Urging Roll Back of Tariffs to Help Producers & Lower Prices for Farmers’ Equipment

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the following statement after the administration announced a deal to lift the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico. The agreement completely lifts the 25 percent tariff on steel and the 10 percent tariff on aluminum, without imposing quotas. Under the agreement, Mexico and Canada will remove the retaliatory tariffs they placed on U.S. agriculture products. The deal will take effect two days from now.

Earlier this year, Hoeven led the North Dakota delegation in urging the President to take this action, which will:

  • Remove Canada and Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs against U.S. agriculture producers. 
  • Help lower prices for manufacturers, and for farmers who rely on equipment made with steel.
  • Bolster support for moving the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) through the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“Lifting the steel and aluminum tariffs is important both for manufacturers and for our agriculture producers who were impacted by increased prices and retaliatory tariffs, and we appreciate the administration for heeding our call to do so,” said Hoeven. “This action will be helpful in our continued efforts to move the USMCA through Congress. Our farmers and ranchers ultimately need better trade deals, and it’s important that we finalize this agreement, as well as our ongoing negotiations with nations like China and Japan, as soon as possible.” 

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