Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel draw fire from US House Democrat

Representative Joe Courtney blasts the levies as a threat to ‘whether or not we can build steel ships’ for the US Navy

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Steel products in a warehouse at North York Iron, a steel supplier in Toronto. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was doubling tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminium to 50 per cent. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:58am, 12 Mar 2025Updated: 9:40am, 12 Mar 2025

Minutes before US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he would double his tariffs on steel imported from Canada, the senior Democrat on a Congressional subcommittee blasted punitive duties that were already set to take effect as a threat to American military shipbuilding.

Speaking at a House sea power and projection forces subcommittee hearing examining the state of US shipbuilding, Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut said the tariffs already announced were “going to impact whether or not we can build steel ships”.

Shortly after those opening remarks in a hearing that focused on inefficiencies, delays and cost overruns in US military shipbuilding, Trump announced his order to hike tariffs on all steel and aluminium products imported from Canada to 50 per cent – a response to the Canadian province of Ontario placing a 25 per cent tariff on electricity transmitted into the US.

“When we’re talking about cost overruns … we’ve got to think holistically here in terms of just, this is not just a [National Defence Authorisation Act] issue,” Courtney said, referring to the budget bill that must be passed annually to fund the US military.

“Tariffs are going to impact whether or not we can build steel ships with nickel alloy [steel products] coming from Canada.”

Steel products made with nickel are stronger and tend to resist corrosion more than many other varieties, making them crucial inputs for military hardware.