Commerce Department

Disputing the idea that imports of autos and auto parts pose a national security threat, more than 140 lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to use taxpayer dollars on “other endeavors."

Reichert: “Our witnesses will describe the damage they are experiencing firsthand as they struggle through this cumbersome process.”

Companies from the natural gas and oil industry are decrying the Commerce Department's Section 232 steel product exclusion process, arguing that the department has been “arbitrary” and unclear in deciding whether to grant or exclude certain steel products from a newly imposed 25 percent tariff.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) plans to introduce legislation to reform the Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 by tightening its definition of national security and giving Congress a larger role in assessing proposed moves against allies.

The Commerce Department is considering a list of proposed policy changes aimed at strengthening the enforcement of U.S. trade laws -- though some trade lawyers argue they could be overly restrictive for foreign exporters.

Last year the case prompted the European Union to “intervene” out of concern about what it said could be “unjustified” duties and a dangerous precedent.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s exclusion process for interested parties to avoid the Section 301 tariffs on $34 billion worth Chinese goods includes a number of elements industry and private sector sources lauded as improvements on the Commerce Department’s Section 232 process.