If President Trump adopts Commerce Dept.建议to impose severe trade penalties on steel and aluminum imports from China and other foreign countries, prices for construction steel and aluminum products would jump and some contractors could suffer a financial blow, industry economists predict.

The proposals—which Commerce sent to President Trump on Jan. 11 but didn’t release publicly until Feb. 16—include two that would apply to steel imports from all countries: a tariff of at least 24% and a quota that equals 63% of each country’s 2017 steel exports to the U.S. [View Commerce's steel report这里。]。

Two other options would apply to steel imports from China, Brazil, India, Korea, Russia and seven other countries—a minimum tariff of 53% and a quota equaling 100% of their 2017 steel exports to the U.S.

Commerce表示，它建议对钢铁和铝提出“立即行动”，但指出，将由特朗普决定采用哪种选择。他还可能选择不从特定国家 /地区从特定国家 /地区服用任何行动或豁免出口。

美国关联的美国首席经济学家肯·西蒙森（Ken Simonson）通过电子邮件说，AGC官员“希望他会意识到这可以使基础设施不起作用，挫败了改善经济增长和危害拥有固定价格合同的承包商财务状况的努力但尚未锁定钢铁购买价格。”

Simonson noted that for 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics producer-price index for steel mill products climbed 7.8% and the aluminum mill shapes index was up 9.4%. He said, “These tariffs would doubtless add double-digits to those rates of price increase.”

Anirban Basu, Associated Builders and Contractors chief economist, says Trump is likely to approve trade penalties in the steel and aluminum sector, noting that the administration has taken action against softwood lumber imports from Canada.

Basu says that the construction industry "is staring down the barrel of fairly significant increases in materials prices at a time when materials prices are already rising quite rapidly"

他还指出，许多项目都是计划和计划的，“在许多情况18luck官网下，钢或铝价上涨的价格将以承包商为代价。”

一些承包商在现货市场上购买钢铁，而另一些承包商则使用期货合约来锁定钢铁价格，Basunotes。但是，这种合同“可能很昂贵”，有些公司选择推迟购买材料。“但是现在不是等待的时候了。现在可能是锁定价格的好时机，因为未来已经变得非常不确定。”

Simonson and Basu say that targeted countries may retaliate with similar penalties on U.S. shipments. Simonson said, “That is a big risk and something that typically happens.” Retaliatory tariffs would pose severe harm to warehousing, transportation and port-related companies and, in turn, reduce demand for construction, he said.

巴苏说，总的来说，如果批准钢铁和铝关税和配额，建筑业“将成为美国业务部门中最大的失败者之一”。

四月的截止日期

总统必须在4月11日之前就钢铁建议和4月19日的铝建议作出决定。

Commerce在其报告中表示，去年向美国进口的钢提高到3600万吨的年增长率，从2011 - 2016年期间的平均3180万平均为3600万吨。

该部门的报告是根据1962年《贸易扩张法》第232条准备的，并确定钢铁和铝进口“威胁要损害国家安全”。

Commerce also said that the actions are aimed at raising U.S. steel production to about 80% of capacity, from 73% now.

特朗普可能认可的任何关税或配额都将是现在有效的罚款。

提出了铝关税

铝的建议更为温和，包括至少7.7％的全球关税或等于多达86.7％的各个国家2017年出口给美国的配额。

其他铝制选择包括从中国，香港，俄罗斯，委内瑞拉和越南的产品征收23.6％的关税；加上配额。

The public version of Commerce’s report had “classified and business confidential information” redacted, the department said.

美国钢铁学院总裁兼首席执行官托马斯·吉布森（Thomas J.我们期待继续与政府合作解决这种关键情况。“

工会寻求加拿大豁免

国际的主席里奥•杰拉德单位ed Steelworkers’ union, praised the Commerce Dept. recommendations. Gerard noted that the report identified the countries that “have relentlessly violated trade laws.”

他补充说：“减少作弊和恢复公平的市场价格将有很长的路要走，以重新点燃国内生产和就业。”

但是，钢铁工人还希望看到从加拿大的进口量免于可能的关税或配额。工会加拿大国家主任肯·诺伊曼（Ken Neumann）表示：“没有理由将加拿大与系统违反贸易法并参与非法补贴的铝和钢铁的国家包括在内。”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that he hopes that the recommendations “are the beginning of efforts by this administration to finally get tough on China and help level the playing field for American steel and aluminum producers and workers.”