Tariff rethink? Trump reviews steel, aluminum duties as inflation looms

Noi Mahoney

Sat, February 14, 2026 at 1:30 AM GMT+9 2 min read

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U.S. President Donald Trump is considering scaling back some tariffs on imported steel and aluminum goods amid concerns that the levies are pushing up consumer prices.

According to a report by the Financial Times, cited by Reuters, administration officials are reviewing a list of products affected by the tariffs and weighing exemptions for certain items.

Officials at the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. trade representative’s office believe some of the duties have increased prices for everyday goods such as pie tins and food-and-drink cans.

The potential rollback comes as inflation and cost-of-living pressures remain a key political issue ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50% on steel and aluminum imports last year and has frequently used trade levies as leverage in negotiations with trading partners.

The administration is now considering exempting certain products, pausing further expansions of the tariff lists and launching more targeted national security reviews into specific goods instead.

Canada and Mexico are among the largest foreign suppliers of steel and aluminum to the U.S, underscoring how closely integrated North American manufacturing supply chains have become.

Canada is typically the top source of both imported steel and primary aluminum, accounting for roughly half of U.S. aluminum imports in some years, while Mexico consistently ranks among the leading steel exporters to the U.S.

Much of that material moves by rail and truck across the northern and southern borders, meaning any changes to metals tariffs can quickly ripple through cross-border freight volumes and industrial production.

The post Tariff rethink? Trump reviews steel, aluminum duties as inflation looms appeared first on FreightWaves.

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