Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Trump's steel tariffs

The Supreme Court Monday declined to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel for national security reasons.

American steel importers asked in April for the Supreme Court to review a March ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade that upheld the constitutionality of Trump’s use of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose tariffs.

The court’s decision not to consider the case means that Court of International Trade’s ruling will remain.

The case was filed by the American Institute for International Steel and two of its member companies: Texas-based Sim-Tex, a wholesaler of oil and gas pipe, and Kurt Orban Partners, an international steel trader based in California.

Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent duty on imported aluminum in March 2018 after an investigation into whether imports of both metals are a threat to U.S. national security.

The plaintiffs originally argued that Section 232 was far too open-ended and allowed the president to make a decision without any check from Congress or a requirement for judicial review.

A number of lawmakers have criticized Trump’s use of the statute to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from around the world. Trump could also later use the statute to impose tariffs on autos and auto part imports.

Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is working on legislation that would serve as a check on the president’s power to impose tariffs through Section 232. His bill will likely be released after the long August recess.

Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine