We have a healthy steel and aluminum industry, 82 million tons of steel and somewhat less aluminum produced last year.
“We have a healthy steel and aluminum industry, 82 million tons of steel and somewhat less aluminum produced last year.”
During WWII we produced 733 million tons of steel. I’m not saying we couldn’t ramp up, but we have a lot more people now (thus consumption is more) and we produce significantly less.
And consumed 136 million tons of steel last year.
Based on 2017 consumption 82 million leaves about 40% of our consumption in 2017 to imports, something that makes no sense in just national security terms. With Trump pushing to do the work that's required on our infrastructure, it makes even less sense because so many US mills aren't just shuttered, they've been torn down meaning most of the increase in demand would go to imports.
In years when there is lower consumption, the percentage that's imported increases because producers here layoff workers since that's easier than upsetting their supply chain contracts by altering contracts with exporters.
Japanese auto manufactures built plants here to build their autos starting when Reagan reigned them in. Japan, South Korea, and other countries can all build plants here to make steel if they want a significant share of the market. At least Japan and South Korea would have no problem doing so right away in hopes of taking market share from China if they don't have to fight the EPA for a decade before they can even start building.
The tariff bogey man is just that, a bogey man that's kept Americans grazing like docile cattle while US manufacturing was shipped overseas. Anyone who wants a share of the US market can come here, make their products here with US labor, and sell here. That's what we're told the US has to do in order to be in the Chinese market but for some reason what's good for the goose just can't possibly be good for the gander when it comes to building plants here to sell products here.