Senators ask to see White House metal tariffs study

The Council of Economic Advisers reportedly completed an analysis on the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum that found the measures would hurt the economy.    Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on Wednesday wrote a letter asking for the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) to submit a reportedly completed analysis that apparently found the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum would hurt U.S. economic growth.
   Posted to the committee website on Thursday, the letter to CEA Chairman Kevin Hassett references a June 7 New York Times article reporting that the council drafted an economic analysis that anticipated negative economic effects of the administration’s tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
   Johnson and McCaskill asked Hassett to provide the presumable analysis no later than 5 p.m. June 27.
   “To date, while the committee has received some information from the Commerce Department, we are still seeking specific data and supporting documents regarding the tariffs,” the senators wrote. “To better understand the potential consequences of the administration’s trade policies, we respectfully request that you produce the CEA economic analysis relating to the administration’s steel and aluminum tariffs and all supporting data and documents.”