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During his visit to the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, President Biden will ask the USTR to consider tripling the existing 301 tariff rate.

PITTSBURGH, Pa.—President Joe Biden will propose on Wednesday a boost in tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from China, a move viewed as a strategic one to increase support among blue-collar voters for the 2024 election.

The president will ask the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to consider tripling the existing 301 tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a four-year review. He’s expected to announce this request during his visit to the United Steelworkers (USW) headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

The current average tariff on steel and aluminum is 7.5 percent under Section 301, according to the White House.

During his trip, the president will talk about actions he will take to help defend American steel and steelworkers, Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters during a call on April 16.

“China cannot export its way to recovery. China is simply too big to play by its own rules,” she said. “In manufacturing sectors like steel, China’s already producing more than China or the world can easily absorb. China’s subsidies and other forms of support, lead to exports flooding global markets at artificially low prices, undercutting American steel.”

In 2018, President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on China-imported steel and 10 percent on Chinese aluminum on national security grounds under Section 232. The former president stressed the need to defend domestic producers from global overproduction.

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For more than a decade, China flooded the global market with cheap steel, decimating businesses around the world, including in the United States.

When President Biden came into office, he kept the existing tariffs on China to protect the U.S. steel and aluminum industries. The USTR has been reviewing Trump-era tariffs to determine whether they should be revised.

President Biden has reportedly come under pressure from labor unions to extend the tariffs on Chinese goods.

In addition, USW asked President Biden last month to launch a trade investigation into China’s unfair practices in the critical maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. Five labor unions, including the USW, filed a petition with the USTR outlining unfair practices that have helped China dominate global shipbuilding.

“We take those allegations very seriously and intend to conduct a thorough investigation into them,” a senior administration official told reporters.

The Biden administration is also in talks with the Mexican government about preventing China from circumventing tariffs by importing from Mexico into the United States.

“We’re hoping to come to a mutually acceptable solution with Mexico,” another senior administration official said.

China alone accounts for about half of world steel production, and Chinese export steel prices are 40 percent lower than U.S. steel prices.

On April 12, US Steel shareholders approved Nippon Steel’s takeover bid, bringing the deal closer to the finish line. President Biden is expected to reiterate his concerns about the deal during his visit to Pittsburgh. He believes that US Steel is an iconic American steel industry that must be owned and run domestically.

President Biden began his three-day tour of Pennsylvania on Tuesday with a campaign event in Scranton, his hometown.

During a speech in Scranton, the president highlighted a contrast between his economic agenda and that of his 2024 presidential rival and predecessor, former President Donald Trump. He also reiterated his push to raise taxes on wealthy individuals and big corporations.

“Folks, where we come from matters. When I look at the economy, I don’t see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago; I see through the eyes of Scranton,” President Biden said.

Pennsylvania, which holds 19 critical electoral votes, is a key focus for the Biden campaign.

In 2016, then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump carried the state over rival Hillary Clinton by a margin of just 0.72 percent, aiding his election victory. In 2020, however, then-candidate Joe Biden won by a margin of 1.17 percent.

In Pittsburgh, President Biden will continue promoting his economic plan before heading to Philadelphia for additional campaign events on Thursday, according to the White House.