WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today applauded the Trump administration’s reported consideration of new national security tariffs on batteries, cast iron products, plastic piping, industrial chemicals, and power grid and telecom equipment following the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision narrowing the use of International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) tariff authority. In light of the Court’s ruling, CPA urges the administration to move swiftly to deploy Section 232 investigations through the U.S. Department of Commerce as the most durable and effective tool available to restore American industrial capacity.
As CPA noted in its recent statement on the Supreme Court’s IEEPA decision, the ruling makes clear that tariff policy must rest on firm statutory foundations. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 provides precisely that authority, empowering the Department of Commerce to investigate whether specific imports threaten U.S. national security and to recommend targeted remedies.
The Trump administration through the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) launched twelve new Section 232 investigations in 2025 to address vulnerabilities across critical sectors. In addition to welcoming new Section 232 investigations, CPA urges the administration to swiftly complete existing investigations and implement import relief through tariffs or quotas that control import penetration. Finalizing these actions will provide certainty to producers, reinforce domestic investment decisions already underway, and ensure that Section 232 continues to function as the backbone of America’s industrial and national security strategy.
“Section 232 is the most effective tool available to reshore critical sectors of the U.S. economy, and CPA strongly supports the work of the Department of Commerce and the team at BIS,” said Jon Toomey, President of CPA. “In the wake of the Supreme Court’s IEEPA decision, the Trump administration should move quickly to initiate additional investigations in industries where import dependence threatens our infrastructure, energy systems, and long-term industrial strength. Properly deployed, Section 232 is durable, defensible, and strategically precise—allowing the United States to rebuild specific sectors essential to our economic and national security.”
Section 232 has already demonstrated its effectiveness. Unlike other Presidential tariff authorities which are foreign-facing, and require justification based on activity abroad, Section 232 focuses on national resilience and self-reliance. In areas where the United States will remain import-reliant for the foreseeable future, Section 232 actions can authorize limited quota volumes for specific import sources.
Large swaths of the U.S. industrial base merit immediate 232 attention, including:
- Plastic pipe, essential for water infrastructure, energy development, and municipal systems;
- Cast iron pipe, critical for wastewater, stormwater, and foundational infrastructure networks;
- Batteries, including advanced and industrial battery systems central to energy storage, transportation, grid stability, and defense applications.
These sectors underpin infrastructure resilience, energy security, and domestic manufacturing strength. In each case, import dependence and foreign state-backed industrial strategies threaten to erode U.S. capacity and leave critical supply chains vulnerable.
CPA reiterates that Section 232 actions are undermined when countries are granted unlimited market access exemptions from 232 tariffs. In extremely rare cases where an exemption may be justified due to significant import reliance, it should be structured as a quota that provides domestic producers with clear and predictable limits on the size of the import market share.
However, in the case of steel, there is more than enough unused melt and finishing capacity in the U.S., therefore, no exemptions or exclusions are warranted as the industry continues to operate at below 80% capacity utilization and has the capacity to meet current and projected demand.
As CPA has previously recommended in its guidance on bilateral trade actions, overly generous exemptions invite import surges, encourage transshipment, and weaken the very domestic capacity these measures are designed to restore.
RELATED:
- February 20, 2026: CPA Statement on SCOTUS IEEPA Tariff Ruling
- January 8, 2026: Blocking Chinese-Linked Investments From Accessing U.S. Taxpayer Funds in Strategic Industries
- November 25, 2025: CPA Calls on Trump Administration to Prioritize Metal Fabricators in Ongoing Trade Actions
- November 4, 2025: CPA Releases New Economics Report: “Section 232 Steel Tariffs Are Necessary For National Security”
- October 30, 2025: With China Agreement Complete, CPA Urges Trump Administration to Prioritize 232 Investigations and Domestic Producers
- October 22, 2025: CPA Submits Section 232 Comments on Imports of Personal Protective Equipment, Medical Consumables, and Medical Equipment, Including Devices
- September 25, 2025: CPA Applauds Launch of Robotics, Industrial Machinery, and Medical Device Section 232 Investigations
- August 15, 2025: CPA Celebrates Commerce Department for Successful Completion of First Section 232 ‘Inclusion Round’
- August 12, 2025: CPA Submits Section 232 Comments Supporting a Polysilicon Tariff-Rate Quota (TRQ)
- May 22, 2025: CPA Releases Comments on Section 232 Investigation of Domestic Trucking Sector
- May 20, 2025: CPA Releases Comments on Section 232 Investigation of Pharmaceutical Imports
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