>>Yes, tariffs are taxes and steel and aluminum are strategic commodities which we need to be able to produce for ourselves.<<
To the extent that is true, direct subsidies are far more effective and more easily justified.
And they work. Just look at the overbuilding we’re getting of wind and solar power. Not that these are strategic, but subsidies work.
We should decide whether any particular product is in danger of being outsourced solely to despotic countries (not Canada, for example) and subsidize the minimum amount of production determined to be necessary for maintenance of the capability. Production can always be ramped up in time of war as WWII proved beyond doubt.
And right now, the current domestic steel and aluminum industry are sufficiently established that no subsidy would be necessary. Nor are tariffs, an even worse idea than subsidies.
So you don’t mind paying one way(subsidize), just the other way(tariff) is bad?
“And they work. Just look at the overbuilding we’re getting of wind and solar power. Not that these are strategic, but subsidies work.”
Subsidies are a tax on everyone. Tariffs are more specifically targeted.