SMA President Philip K. Bell issued the following statement today:

“Americans have expressed overwhelming support for the domestic steel industry and policies that support our workers. According to a recent YouGov survey, 95 percent of American adults believe it is important for America to have a strong steel industry even if imports are cheaper.

“President Trump continues to be a champion of the steel industry, prioritizing the American men and women who make steel. Steelworkers will no longer pay taxes on overtime, owing to the One Big Beautiful Bill that he signed into law on Independence Day. The Trump tax cuts and the national security tariff on imported steel will drive continued growth and investment in the steel industry, benefitting American workers and strengthening the nation.

“The domestic steel industry built our nation’s infrastructure. When you need a new bridge, manufacturing facility, equipment for energy production, or an AI data center, you need American-made steel. Yet the domestic steel industry has suffered from China-led global overcapacity.

“Americans recognize these foreign threats to domestic manufacturing and their jobs. Fully 92 percent of survey respondents support rebalancing trade relationships to make them fairer to Americans. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Section 232 steel tariff reduced harmful imports by up to 24 percent, and that was before President Trump strengthened the tariff by removing exemptions and exclusions and raising the tariff to 50 percent.

“Every job in the steel industry creates seven more jobs downstream, and the YouGov survey shows that 95 percent of Americans are in favor of economic policies that support and protect American jobs, even if those policies lead to cost increases. And 94 percent of Americans believe it is important that regulations that protect health do not hurt job creation. Fortunately, Trump policies show that you do not have to choose between health or the economy. Americans are strongly aligned with policies that support vital steel industry jobs and smarter government regulations. Thank you, President Trump, for continuing to stand strong for our workers and our industry.”