TGA Opposes Proposal to Expand Section 232 Tariffs to Travel Goods

On October 21, TGA submitted comments urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to reject a petition to add a range of travel goods items (See the attached comments pdf) to the list of derivatives covered under the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs President Trump imposed on imports earlier this year.

The derivatives process allows domestic manufacturers to petition the U.S. Department of Commerce to add “derivatives” – products made primarily of steel or aluminum – to the list of imports covered by the 50% Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs.

Section 232 allows the President to impose tariffs if imports of certain products are deemed to create a “national security” risk to the United States. Previous petititions have seen products like milk, beer, and soup added to the “derivatives” list.

Note that Section 232 is different from the reciprocal tariffs already imposed on most supplier countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

TGA is just one of many organizations strongly opposing the addition of travel goods to the “derivatives” list. Please contact Nate Herman, TGA’s Director of Government Relations at [email protected], if you have any questions or would like additional information.