Latest news with #WestMifflin
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Mon Valley leaders optimistic about U.S. Steel's future following Trump rally
Mon Valley leaders are sharing optimism about the future of U.S. Steel after President Trump's rally at the Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant in West Mifflin. Mr. Trump celebrated what he calls a partnership between U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon on Friday, sharing details about commitments in the partnership and increased tariffs on imported steel. Mr. Trump also announced that his administration will be raising tariffs on imported steel from 25% to 50%. "What this tariff is going to mean for these jobs here in Pittsburgh, Gary, Indiana, and Minnesota, we're back, we're back, and we're back with a vengeance," said West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly. "These steel workers deserve this." He called the tariff announcement unexpected. "Tariffs being put on China will stop them from dumping steel at a lower cost, and it will be cheaper to buy American steel here," Kelly said. Combined with the Nippon partnership, Mr. Trump says the tariffs will help U.S. Steel. At the rally, he revealed the partnership will include a commitment to maintain blast furnaces at full capacity for a decade, there would be no layoffs, and $2.2 billion would be invested in the Mon Valley." "With the technology Nippon is bringing in, we will make [steel] faster, we'll make it better, we'll make it stronger," Kelly said. He spoke with Nippon and U.S. Steel executives after the rally, he said. "I asked specifically, Mr. Mori and Mr. Burrit: Are we good? Did we get everything we want? And the answer was yes, plus some," Kelly said. Nippon executives have been in his office countless times over the past year. He says Nippon will be a good partner for U.S. Steel. "Honor in Japan is their lifeline. Everything they do is about honor and commitment," Kelly said. "They're a soft-spoken group."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Explains Reason For Doubling Steel, Aluminum Tariffs
President Donald Trump at the U.S. Steel Corporation—Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Penn., on Friday, May 30, 2025. Credit - Rebecca Droke—Getty Images President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he plans to double the tariffs on steel and aluminum—increasing the charge from 25% to 50%. The tariff escalation comes at a precarious time, as Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs are immersed in legal trouble at the court level and many U.S. businesses are struggling to contend with the back-and-forth nature of the levies. Trump's announcement also coincides with the 'blockbuster' agreement between U.S. Steel and Japanese steel company Nippon, a deal which he promised will include no layoffs and the steelmaker will be "controlled by the USA." The steepened tariffs could potentially further escalate tensions between the U.S. and its previous top steel partners, which include Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Vietnam. As the U.S.' number one steel importer, Canada—with whom the U.S. has already escalated tensions due to Trump's other tariffs—stands to feel the pressure of this latest move. Here's what to know about Trump's doubled tariffs and what experts have to say about it. Trump announced his decision during a rally at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant near Pittsburgh in West Mifflin, Penn., surrounded by hardhat-donned steel workers. 'We're going to bring it from 25% percent to 50%—the tariffs on steel into the United States of America—which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States,' Trump told the crowd, offering his reasoning that the increased charges will ultimately help the domestic industry. 'Nobody's going to get around that.' He later posted about his decision on social media, revealing that the tariffs would also be raised for aluminum.'Our steel and aluminum industries are coming back like never before,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'This will be yet another BIG jolt of great news for our wonderful steel and aluminum workers.' In Trump's announcement post on Truth Social, he said that the doubled tariffs would come into effect on Wednesday, June 4. Although it's worth noting that other tariff threats—such as the proposed 50% charge on the E.U. and the majority of Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs that he announced on April 2—have been temporarily paused to allow time for negotiations. It remains to be seen if an extension will be granted for this new June 4 date. The back-and-forth on tariff dates and rates has left many businesses in limbo, though Felix Tintelnot, professor of economics at Duke University, says that with steel and aluminum, the Administration has generally followed through on the timings they've announced. The question, he says, is how long the 50% will stand, as he's seen the rates 'flip-flopping all the time.' Tintelnot argues that the resulting uncertainty is causing real harm to U.S. businesses and thus, in turn, impacting workers, despite Trump's claims that the tariffs will bring large amounts of money to the U.S. steel industry. 'We're talking about expansion of capacity of heavy industry that comes with significant upfront investments, and no business leader should take heavy upfront investments if they don't believe that the same policy is there two, three, or four years from now,' Tintelnot says. 'Regardless of whether you're in favor [of] or against these tariffs, you don't want the President to just set tax rates arbitrarily, sort of by Executive Order all the time.' Though Tintelnot agrees that the escalated tariffs should help the domestic steel industry, he says it will be coinciding with struggles in other U.S. industries as a result of the increase. 'So, this is expected to raise the price of aluminum, which is important in inputs for downstream industries like the automotive industry, as well as construction, so there's sort of a distributional conflict here,' Tintelnot warns. 'Yes, it does help the domestic steel sector, but [it's] hurting these other sectors of the economy, and they are already hard hit by other tariffs.' The USW (Unity and Strength for Workers, most commonly referred to as United Steelworkers)—a trade union of steelworkers across North America— said in a statement that the increase will have a negative impact on Canada's industries and jobs. 'This isn't trade policy—it's a direct attack on Canadian industries and workers,' said Marty Warren, United Steelworkers national director for Canada. 'Thousands of Canadian jobs are on the line and communities that rely on steel and aluminum are being put at risk. Canada needs to respond immediately and decisively to defend workers.' Meanwhile, Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said that the plan to double tariffs is a 'direct attack on Canadian workers and a reckless move' and warned that it "could shut Canadian steel and aluminum out of the U.S. market entirely and put thousands of good union jobs at risk." Speaking about the tariffs overall, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday that he intends to jumpstart and fast track national building projects throughout the country to respond to Trump's trade war, 'ensuring that the Canadian government becomes a catalyst for, not an impediment to, nation-building projects that will supercharge growth in communities, both large and small.' Other international lawmakers, meanwhile, have voiced their disapproval of Trump's tariffs escalations. Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell, said that Trump's doubled charges were 'unjustified and not the act of a friend.' Contact us at letters@
Al Etihad
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Trump says will double steel, aluminum tariffs to 50%
31 May 2025 19:39 West Mifflin (AFP)US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would double steel and aluminum import tariffs to 50% from next week drew ire from the European Union Saturday in the latest salvo in his trade wars aimed at protecting domestic EU warned it was "prepared" to retaliate against the latest tariffs, adding the sudden move "undermines ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated solution" between the bloc and the United States. "We're going to bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America," Trump said Friday while addressing workers at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania."Nobody's going to get around that," he added in the speech before blue-collar workers in the battleground state that helped deliver his election victory last after, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the elevated rate would also apply to aluminum, with the new tariffs "effective Wednesday, June 4."Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike in moves that have rocked the world trade order and roiled financial tariffs had seen a brief legal setback earlier this week when a court ruled Trump had overstepped his authority, but an appellate court on Thursday said the tariffs could continue while the litigation moves has also issued sector-specific levies that affect goods such as Friday, he defended his trade policies, arguing that tariffs helped protect US industry. He added that the steel facility he was speaking in would not exist if he had not also imposed duties on metals imports during his first Friday, Trump touted a planned partnership between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel, but offered few new details on a deal that earlier faced bipartisan stressed that despite a recently announced planned partnership between the American steelmaker and Nippon Steel, "US Steel will continue to be controlled by the USA."He added that there would be no layoffs or outsourcing of jobs by the returning to Washington late Friday, Trump told reporters he had yet to approve the deal."I have to approve the final deal with Nippon, and we haven't seen that final deal yet, but they've made a very big commitment," Trump week, Trump said that US Steel would remain in America with its headquarters to stay in Pittsburgh, adding that the arrangement with Nippon would create at least 70,000 jobs and add $14 billion to the US in Pennsylvania said that as part of its commitment, Nippon would invest $2.2 billion to boost steel production in the Mon Valley Works-Irvin plant where he was $7 billion would go towards modernizing steel mills, expanding ore mining and building facilities in places including Indiana and Minnesota.A proposed $14.9 billion sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel had previously drawn political opposition from both sides of the aisle. Former president Joe Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds shortly before leaving remain lingering concerns over the new United Steelworkers union (USW) which represents thousands of hourly workers at US Steel facilities said after Trump's speech that it had not participated in discussions involving Nippon Steel and the Trump administration, "nor were we consulted.""We cannot speculate about the meaning of the 'planned partnership,'" said USW International President David McCall in a statement."Whatever the deal structure, our primary concern remains with the impact that this merger of US Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work," McCall said. Trump had opposed Nippon Steel's takeover plan while on the election campaign trail. But since returning to the presidency, he signaled that he would be open to some form of investment after all.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Trump announces 50% steel tariffs and hails ‘blockbuster' deal with Japan
Donald Trump announced on Friday he was doubling foreign tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent, as the US president celebrated a 'blockbuster' agreement for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in US Steel during a rally in Pennsylvania. Surrounded by men in orange hardhats at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Mr Trump unveiled the new levies, declaring that the dramatic rate increase would 'even further secure the steel industry in the United States'. 'Nobody is going to get around that,' Mr Trump said, of the tariff rate hike from what was 25 per cent. In a social media post after his remarks, Mr Trump announced that the 50 per cent tariffs on steel would also apply to imported aluminium and would take effect on June 4th. READ MORE 'This will be yet another BIG jolt of great news for our wonderful steel and aluminium workers,' he stated in the post. It was not immediately clear how the announcement would affect the trade deal negotiated earlier this month that saw tariffs on UK steel and aluminium reduced to zero. Mr Trump's Friday tariffs announcement came a day after a federal appeals court temporarily allowed his tariffs to remain in effect staying a decision by a US trade court that blocked the president from imposing the duties. The trade court ruling, however, does not impede the president's ability to unilaterally raise tariffs on steel imports, an authority granted under a national security provision called section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The precise relationship between Nippon Steel and US Steel raised questions on Friday, even for some of Mr Trump's allies. The president has thrown his full support behind the deal, months after insisting he was 'totally against' a $14.9 billion bid by Nippon Steel for its US rival. [ Ireland cannot base its economic strategy on the 'Taco' theory – Trump Always Chickens Out Opens in new window ] The United Steelworkers union had previously urged Mr Trump to reject Nippon's bid, dismissing the Japanese firm's commitments to invest in the US as 'flashy promises' and claiming it was 'simply seeking to undercut our domestic industry from the inside'. Speaking to steelworkers, Mr Trump said that US Steel would 'stay an American company' after what he is now calling 'a partnership' with Nippon. But US Steel's website links to a stand-alone site with the combined branding of the two companies that features a statement describing the transaction as 'US Steel's agreement to be acquired by NSC'. On the website touting the deal, there were also multiple references to 'Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel' and the 'potential sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel'. Even pro-Trump commentators on Fox expressed bafflement over the exact nature of the deal. 'This is being described as 'a partnership', this deal between Nippon and US Steel – but then it's described as an acquisition on the US Steel website,' Fox host Laura Ingraham pointed out on her Friday night show. [ Trump and the 'nasty' Taco trade Opens in new window ] She asked a guest from another pro-Trump outlet, Breitbart: 'Who owns the majority stake in this company?' When the guest said he did not know, Ms Ingraham suggested Mr Trump might not be aware of the details. 'I don't know if he was fully informed about the terms of the deal. We just don't know.' Mr Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, had blocked Nippon's acquisition, citing national security concerns, during his final weeks in office. During his remarks at the rally, Mr Trump gloated that the Nippon investment would once again make the American steelmaker 'synonymous with greatness'. He said protections were included to 'ensure that all steel workers will keep their jobs and all facilities in the United States will remain open and thriving' and said Nippon had committed to maintaining all of US Steel's operating blast furnaces for the next decade. The president also promised that every US steelworker would soon receive a $5,000 bonus – prompting the crowd to start a round of 'U-S-A!' chants. Mr Trump told the steelworkers in attendance that there was 'a lot of money coming your way'. 'We won't be able to call this section a rust belt any more,' Trump said. 'It'll be a golden belt.' During the event, Mr Trump invited local members of United Steelworkers on to the stage to promote the Nippon deal, which saw its leader break with the union to support it. Praising the president, Jason Zugai, vice-president of Irvin local 2227, said he believed the investments would be 'life-changing'. But the powerful United Steelworkers union remained wary. 'Our primary concern remains with the impact that this merger of US Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work,' United Steelworkers president David McCall said in a statement. 'Issuing press releases and making political speeches is easy. Binding commitments are hard.' Mr Trump framed the administration's drive to boost domestic steel production as 'not just a matter of dignity or prosperity or pride' but as 'above all, a matter of national security'. He blamed 'decades of Washington betrayals and incompetence and stupidity and corruption' for hollowing out the once-dominant US steel industry, as the jobs 'melted away, just like butter'. 'We don't want America's future to be built with shoddy steel from Shanghai. We want it built with the strength and the pride of Pittsburgh,' he said. In his remarks at a US steel plant, Mr Trump also repeated many of the false claims that have become a feature of his rallies including the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him. He gloated over his 2024 victory and, gesturing toward his ear that was grazed by a would-be assassin's bullet last year at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, said it was proof that a higher power was watching over him. He also called on congressional Republicans to align behind his 'one big, beautiful bill,' urging attendees to lobby their representatives and senators to support the measure. – Guardian service
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Trump says will double steel, aluminum tariffs to 50 percent
WEST MIFFLIN, US: US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would double steel and aluminum import tariffs to 50 percent from next week, the latest salvo in his trade wars aimed at protecting domestic industries. 'We're going to bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America,' he said while addressing workers at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania. 'Nobody's going to get around that,' he added in the speech before blue-collar workers in the battleground state that helped deliver his election victory last year. Shortly after, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the elevated rate would also apply to aluminum, with the new tariffs 'effective Wednesday, June 4th.' Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike in moves that have rocked the world trade order and roiled financial markets. He has also issued sector-specific levies that affect goods such as automobiles. On Friday, he defended his trade policies, arguing that tariffs helped protect US industry. He added that the steel facility he was speaking in would not exist if he had not also imposed duties on metals imports during his first administration. On Friday, Trump touted a planned partnership between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel, but offered few new details on a deal that earlier faced bipartisan opposition. He stressed that despite a recently announced planned partnership between the American steelmaker and Nippon Steel, 'US Steel will continue to be controlled by the USA.' He added that there would be no layoffs or outsourcing of jobs by the company. Last week, Trump said that US Steel would remain in America with its headquarters to stay in Pittsburgh, adding that the arrangement with Nippon would create at least 70,000 jobs and add $14 billion to the US economy. On Friday, he said that as part of its commitment, Nippon would invest $2.2 billion to boost steel production in the Mon Valley Works-Irvin plant where he was speaking. Another $7 billion would go toward modernizing steel mills, expanding ore mining and building facilities in places including Indiana and Minnesota. A proposed $14.9 billion sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel had previously drawn political opposition from both sides of the aisle. Former president Joe Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds shortly before leaving office. There remain lingering concerns over the new partnership. The United Steelworkers union which represents thousands of hourly workers at US Steel facilities said after Trump's speech that it had not participated in discussions involving Nippon Steel and the Trump administration, 'nor were we consulted.' 'We cannot speculate about the meaning of the 'planned partnership,'' said USW International President David McCall in a statement. 'Whatever the deal structure, our primary concern remains with the impact that this merger of US Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work,' McCall said. 'The devil is always in the details,' he added. Trump had opposed Nippon Steel's takeover plan while on the election campaign trail. But since returning to the presidency, he signaled that he would be open to some form of investment after all.
