Spencer Griffith Quoted in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Trump Administration Probe of Steel Imports

Spencer Griffith, a partner in Akin Gump’s international trade practice, was quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article “With eye on national security, Trump fast tracks probe of steel imports,” which reports on President Trump using a half-century-old trade law to impose penalties on steel and aluminum imports if the Commerce Department determines they jeopardize national security. Mr. Trump ordered an investigation in April.

Trade experts, however, as the article notes, say any penalties could lead to retaliation by exporting countries and could harm U.S. manufacturers who rely on steel made overseas. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has said he expects to report to the White House by the end of this month.

“I find that schedule astonishingly fast. These are not open-and-shut, easy, black-and-white issues,” said Griffith.

The article reports that, at a hearing last month, U.S. steel producers tried to define national security in the broadest terms possible. Griffith expects the White House will be receptive to their argument. “I think it’s fair to say the administration will probably use a large definition of national security,” he said.