Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs will harm American workers and consumers
But as a coalition of free market advocates like the American Legislative Exchange Council, the R Street Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, FreedomWorks and the National Taxpayers Union have pointed out, the national security justification “is thin and the toll such restrictions would take on the economy is considerable.”
As the free market groups noted in a letter to President Trump “many of the United States’ largest suppliers of steel and aluminum are covered by free trade agreements like NAFTA and the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, and some of our largest suppliers are covered by NATO, which requires its members to defend American security and provide assistance during emergencies.”
