Proclamation 10771-Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States
Issued 2024-05-31 by Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
Proclamation 10771 adjusts the tariff rates applicable to imports of steel articles into the United States, modifying the Section 232 national security tariff structure that has been in place since 2018. The specific modification establishes new duty rates for steel imports and may adjust the treatment of particular countries or products under the existing steel tariff framework. The stated basis is the determination that certain changes to duty rates are warranted given current conditions in the domestic steel market and trade relationship.
This proclamation affects U.S. steel producers, steel-importing companies, downstream manufacturers that use steel as an input, and the workers employed across those industries. Countries whose steel exports to the United States are affected — including allies that have negotiated alternative arrangements and countries still subject to the full tariff — are also directly impacted.
The legal authority for this proclamation comes from Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the President to impose tariffs on imports that threaten national security. The use of Section 232 for broad tariff measures has been debated, with some arguing it stretches the national security rationale beyond its intended scope, but courts have generally been reluctant to second-guess presidential national security determinations in the trade context.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This proclamation ("Proclamation 10771-Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States") imposes or modifies tariffs. The stated rationale is: "establish certain modifications to the duty rate on imports of steel articles, subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS is modified as provided in the Annex to this proclamation and any subsequent proclamations regarding such steel articles." Under Article I, Section 8, Congress holds the power to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations" and to "lay and collect Duties." However, Congress has delegated significant tariff authority to the President through statutes like Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (national security tariffs) and Section 301 of the Trade Act (unfair trade practices).
The constitutional question is the scope of that delegation. Courts have historically upheld broad presidential trade actions under these statutes. But sweeping tariff measures that effectively rewrite trade policy — affecting billions in commerce — raise non-delegation doctrine concerns. When the executive branch makes economic policy of this magnitude unilaterally, it sits at the edge of the separation of powers.
Official Summary
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