U.S. Trade Chief Floats Potential Changes to Steel, Aluminum Tariffs

(MENAFN) U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signaled Tuesday that Washington may ease the administrative burden of steel and aluminum tariffs without rolling back the duties themselves, telling media the levies have delivered strong results for American industry.

"You may want to sometimes adjust the way some of the tariffs are applied for compliance purposes," Greer said on television.

He acknowledged that the complexity of current tariff rules has forced some businesses to expand their administrative headcount, adding strain to day-to-day operations.

"We've heard stories of companies that have had to hire extra people for compliance. We're not trying to have people do so much bean counting they're not running their company correctly," he said.

Despite those concerns, Greer firmly defended the core tariff structure, describing the underlying metals duties as a clear policy success and ruling out any removal.

"Clearly, those are going the right direction. They're going to stay in place," he said.

The trade chief went further, arguing the tariffs have triggered a broader global shift — prompting trading partners to dismantle their own customs barriers, while simultaneously boosting U.S. exports and cooling inflation. He described the overall impact as "incredibly successful."

The duties in question stem from a 50% levy that President Donald Trump imposed last year on foreign steel and aluminum, a measure framed by officials as a direct response to Chinese industrial overcapacity. The Trump administration later expanded the scope of the tariffs to cover derivative products containing the metals — a move that left many importers struggling to calculate exactly how much of their goods' content originated abroad.

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