Steel manufacturers air TV ad pushing Trump to restrict steel imports

Steel manufacturers called on President Trump in a new ad on Tuesday to keep his promise to restrict steel imports.

“We heard the promises. Now it’s time for action. President Trump, America’s workers are counting on you to protect our jobs and to defend our national security. It’s time to keep the promise and to protect American Steel,” the ad from the Alliance for American Manufacturing says. 

{mosads}Trump campaigned on the promise of bolstering manufacturing, as well as steel manufacturing, saying low-cost foreign imports hurt the U.S. steel industry. 

“President Donald Trump tunes into Fox News, MSNBC or CNN this morning, he can expect to see an ad urging him to keep his promise to restrict steel imports,” a leader of the group, which includes United Steelworkers, ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel, told Politico. 

The Commerce Department declared steel and aluminum imports from China and elsewhere a national security threat in a report issued last month. 

Bloomberg reported last week that Trump was looking to impose a 24 percent tariff on all steel imports. 

“As with every decision he makes, the security of the American people and the American economy will be the president’s primary concerns while he considers his potential options,” deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah said last week. “President Trump is committed to achieving fair and reciprocal trade relationships that protect the American worker and grow our economy.”