Skip to main content

Victories and Struggles: Our Mission Persists

By

 On December 3, 2024, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took action in issuing a forced labor finding against Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L. (“Kingtom”).  This victory for U.S. extruders is a culmination of years of effort between the AEC and United Steel Workers (USW), which started with the initial Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) allegation filed in 2019.  As a result of this finding, CBP has authorized all port directors to seize imports of aluminum extrusions from Kingtom.  

For almost 15 years the Aluminum Extrusion Fair Trade Committee (AEFTC) has worked on a wide variety of trade activities.  In defending the China I case, the AEFTC has navigated the 232 Tariffs and has worked with other organizations on EAPA allegations, along with circumvention and transshipment issues.  Thank you to all who have contributed time and resources over the years!  However, there will be more work to do. 

With a new administration and 2025 fast approaching, the AEC Board of Directors and Staff are weighing options to further enhance the AEC’s activities on trade.  While there is much to play out with the new administration, there will be opportunities for the AEC to provide a voice in potential expansion of the 232 Tariffs, USMCA renegotiation, and further protections of evasion tactics under the China I orders. 

Again, thank you to all who have given of themselves and their organizations to this important cause in protecting the U.S. industry. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Valuation, USMCA, and Fair Trade Priorities

By
 The primary focus of our government affairs work at this moment centers on the Section 232 valuation issue currently under discussion in Washington, D.C.  As highlighted during the recent Aluminum Summit and in prior AEC communications, there remains uncertainty regarding how the Administration intends to resolve this matter. The original Executive Order that established the Section 232 aluminum tariffs made clear that the tariffs were intended to apply to the full value of the imported aluminum extrusion, not solely the value of the aluminum content within the product.  At this time, it remains unclear whether the Administration will seek to address the issue by issuing a new Executive Order or by providing additional interpretive guidance through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  The AEC is actively monitoring these discussions and will update members as soon as a definitive course of action emerges. Parallel to the valuation discussions, attention is tur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Section 232 Updates & Enforcement Expands

By
 The Administration issued another update to the Section 232 steel, aluminum and copper tariff program on June 1.  The program now reaches a growing list of derivative products and downstream imported goods where aluminum content is part of a larger product. The June 1 action modifies several of the 232 product annexes and makes temporary adjustments for certain equipment categories.  According to the White House fact sheet, certain agricultural equipment and other equipment will be adjusted from a 25 percent tariff to a 15 percent tariff.  The action also expands the category of industrial equipment eligible for the temporary 15 percent tariff treatment to include certain mobile industrial equipment, such as bulldozers and forklifts, when imported from trade deal countries eligible for that treatment.  These temporary changes are scheduled to remain in place through December 31, 2027. There were also modifications to the HTS codes covered by the annexes.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

AEC Testifies at USMCA Hearing in Washington

By
Since the AEC’s last Government Affairs update, the Council participated in the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) hearing held in Washington, DC, from December 3–5. The hearing drew more than 200 participants representing a broad range of perspectives on the future of the agreement. The AEC appeared on a panel immediately following the steel industry, and it was noteworthy how closely aligned many of the challenges facing aluminum extruders are with those impacting steel producers—particularly with respect to trade enforcement, circumvention, and market distortion. These discussions reinforced the importance of maintaining a strong, competitive aluminum extrusion industry and underscored the essential role our sector plays as a supplier of critical inputs across construction, transportation, energy, and numerous other segments of the North American economy. During our testimony, the AEC used the hearing as an opportunity to highlight ongoing concerns regarding trade circumventio...
Post a Comment
Read more