According to a report today from CNBC, Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Wilbur Ross recommended a wide range of options to deal with steel dumping in the US, including potentially higher tariffs, in his Section 232 investigation report to Donald Trump.
Options also reportedly include specifically targeting “bad actors” in countries that are active in steel imports. Trump has 90 days to review the report’s findings and recommendations and decide on a course of action.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Ross said he considered himself an “activist” for US industries and would be willing to provide resources that would enable the DOC to self-initiate antidumping and countervailing duty cases.
“By picking strategic cases and initiating them, it will send a message to the people on the other side that we are getting more serious about this,” he said during the hearing.
Since January 2017, the DOC has initiated 84 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations for a range of imported products, up from 52 in 2016.