Commerce submits results of national security investigation of steel imports to Trump

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday formally submitted to President Donald Trump the results of an investigation led by his department into the national security impacts of steel imports.    Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday formally submitted to President Donald Trump the results of an investigation led by his department into the national security impacts of steel imports, Commerce announced.
   Commerce started the interagency investigation in April, at Trump’s direction.
   Ross last year said he had hoped to submit the findings to Trump by the end of June, but the investigation extended as more federal agencies, private stakeholders, and issue experts shared their views on the matter.
   Any finding by the “Section 232” investigation that steel imports negatively impact national security would allow Trump to take broad or narrow action to restrict such imports.
   Trump has until April 11 to decide whether to take any action based on the results of the investigation.
   Commerce will publish a summary of the report in the Federal Register after Trump announces his decision, Commerce said.
   Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement called for the Trump administration to make the report public and to quickly take “meaningful action” to protect American steel and jobs.
   “President Trump promised to crack down on predatory trade practices from countries like China that massively subsidize their steel and aluminum products and hurt American workers, but there is zero evidence that he or his administration is following through on that promise in a meaningful way,” Schumer said. “Completion of the steel sec. 232 investigation and report – something that Trump administration has dragged its feet on for months – was long overdue but is hardly enough to fulfil the promise to stick up for the American worker.”