White House Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated Monday that President Trump was still undecided regarding what countries should be exempted from the administration’s new steel and aluminum tariffs. The deadline for making a determination is Tuesday.
“We are very careful about what we are doing. I think the president has been very clear, there have been ongoing discussions. I think when these came out the president gave us time to address these issues and the president will make a decision on this,” Mnuchin told Fox Business Network.
Trump signed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent one on aluminum in March. The actions caused and outcry among several U.S. trade partners and administration quickly said it would negotiate to allow some countries to be excluded.
The administration has thus far said it will exempt the European Union, Brazil, South Korea, Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. It has said they may reimpose the tariffs on Canada and Mexico if they do not make concessions in the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement re-negotiations.
