Young Statement on Tariffs Following Meeting with White House Chief of Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a meeting this morning with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) issued the following statement regarding proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel:

“Today, I reiterated to General Kelly the need for a targeted, balanced approach to protect Hoosier jobs from countries like China that are violating international trade rules. As a major manufacturing state, Indiana is one of the largest producers and downstream users of both steel and aluminum products. The President is right to address unfair trade practices, but I am hopeful that the measures imposed will be balanced and implement a targeted approach that reflects the degree to which individual countries have violated international rules and thereby protect essential global supply chains with key U.S. allies.” 

Last month, Senator Young met with President Trump and a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss trade issues and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Senator Young reinforced the importance of the steel and aluminum industries to Indiana and urged a balanced approach to protect American jobs. The steel mill industry supports approximately 24,000 Hoosier jobs and the steel industry at large supports in excess of 160,000 high-paying Indiana manufacturing jobs. The Hoosier Aluminum industry supports approximately 45,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs statewide.