Biden to call for a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel as he makes economic pitch in Pittsburgh

President Joe Biden will call on his administration to ratchet up pressure on the Chinese steel industry as he brings his economic competition pitch to Pittsburgh, the heart of the American steel industry, on Wednesday, part of a three-day campaign trail swing through battleground Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden will call on his administration to ratchet up pressure on the Chinese steel industry as he brings his economic competition pitch to Pittsburgh, the heart of the American steel industry, on Wednesday, part of a three-day campaign trail swing through battleground Pennsylvania. The domestic steel industry remains critical to building everything from cars to appliances, to roads and bridges, and Biden has made investment in American manufacturing a key plank of his economic policy – even as voters continue to give him low marks on his handling of the economy. The president made an economic pitch around tax policy and visited with union workers in his hometown of Scranton on Tuesday, and he will travel to Philadelphia for campaign events on Thursday, seeking to set up a stark split screen as former President Donald Trump spends much of his week in a New York City courtroom for a criminal trial. Speaking from US Steel headquarters on Wednesday, Biden will call on United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to “consider tripling” the existing 7.5% tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum through a review of the Section 301 tariff rate, pending the conclusion of a four-year review. Officials expect the ongoing review to be completed “soon,” and Tai could take action to “(enhance) the effectiveness” of the tariffs based on its findings, a senior official said. National Economic Council director Lael Brainard described Biden’s call as “strategic, balanced, and targeted,” saying it would safeguard the US from China’s efforts to undercut domestic steel manufacturing.