US president Donald Trump is considering rolling back or scaling back certain tariffs on steel and aluminum goods, according to a report by the UK-based Financial Times. The move reflects concerns that broad levies on steel and aluminum and related products are contributing to higher prices for everyday products.
The tariffs, which were expanded in 2025 with rates reaching up to 50 percent on imports of steel and aluminum and related products, have faced mounting criticism from consumers, businesses and some lawmakers in the US for driving up costs on items such as pie tins, food and drink cans and other household goods. This shift in policy thinking is considered to be partly motivated by rising cost-of-living pressures on American households, which could become a prominent issue ahead of the elections scheduled to be held November 3, 2026.
On February 13, Kevin Dempsey, President and CEO of Washjngton, D.C.-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), said, “It is critical that the U.S. government maintain the Section 232 national security steel tariffs. Steel is not just a commodity, it is a national security asset. Due to massive foreign government subsidies and other trade-distorting policies, global overcapacity in the steel industry is currently estimated by the OECD at 680 million metric tons and is expected to continue to grow exponentially ― to as high as 721 million metric tons by 2027.”
Dempsey continued, “The Section 232 steel tariffs imposed by President Trump are essential to prevent this overcapacity from fueling new surges of harmful imports into the U.S. market, which would cause a profound threat to American national security and undermine the health of the American steel industry.”
Administration reviewing product list and exemptions
The Trump administration is reported to be reviewing the affected product lists with the aim of exempting certain goods from the levies, stopping further tariff expansions and shifting focus toward more limited national security investigations into specific items rather than blanket tariffs. This would simplify enforcement and could ease the strain on companies struggling with the complexity and compliance burden of current levies.
As of now, the White House has not issued an official public statement confirming the planned tariff adjustments, and it remains unclear which specific products would see reductions or exemptions if any policy changes are finalized.
