US-based news outlet the Washington Examiner has reported that the White House has granted about one fourth of requests for exemption from the Section 232 steel tariffs, providing relief to companies who claim that they are not able to find comparable products produced in the US.
"As of February 11, 66,001 steel and 9,548 aluminum exclusion requests have been filed. Overall, 21,468 steel exclusion decisions have been posted (16,093 were approved)," US Commerce Department spokesman Kevin Manning told the Washington Examiner. The administration has also granted 2,824 exclusions for its aluminum tariffs.