Trump Says Tariffs on Turkish Steel, Aluminum Will Double
President Donald Trump said he will double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum because of the movement of the Turkish lira. " Aluminum will now be 20% and Steel 50%," he tweeted. "Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!" The Turkish Embassy did not immediately respond with a comment. The country is also facing potential removal from the Generalized System of Preferences due to its tariffs on U.S. goods in response to the Section 232 tariffs (see 1808060021).
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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who has talked about introducing legislation to curtail the administration's authority to impose tariffs, said: "I have raised a number of issues with the administration regarding the 232 tariff action and exclusion process. My concerns about the impact on American manufacturers, businesses and families have only grown." Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who has introduced legislation that would give Congress a veto over future Section 232 decisions (and narrow the language about what qualifies as a national security issue), tweeted about his bill after the president's announcement.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., explicitly tied the action to Turkey's refusal to release an American pastor who is a political prisoner there. "I hate it came to this point, but President [Trump] really had no other choice," he tweeted. The Commerce Department and CBP did not comment.