The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) applauds the Trump Administration’s continued efforts to create a fair and level playing field for American aluminum extrusion manufacturers through the February 10, 2025 Presidential Proclamation, Adjusting Imports of Aluminum into the United States.  The Proclamation set forth crucial changes to the Section 232 program to support U.S. aluminum production throughout the value chain and to strengthen our national and economic security.

The Proclamation recognizes that there continues to be a global excess capacity crisis throughout the aluminum value chain.  Seventeen years ago, the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry pursued trade relief against aluminum extrusions from China.  Shortly after those orders went into effect, Chinese companies almost immediately began evading the duties.  After years of fighting various forms of Chinese evasion, the industry again began experiencing a massive surge of unfairly priced aluminum extrusions from third countries into the U.S. market.  This is now a global problem.  These imports once again led to a cycle of deteriorating capacity utilization, closures, and layoffs, devastating the industry.

By closing the loopholes in the Section 232 measures and increasing the tariff rates, the Trump Administration’s latest action will help significantly to clamp down on the surge of unfair imports. We believe that removing the exclusions and loopholes, strengthening overall enforcement, and including downstream aluminum-containing derivative products will significantly benefit the American aluminum extrusions industry. This will allow it to restart its unused capacity, rehire furloughed employees, and create thousands of well-paying American jobs. The AEC looks forward to continuing to partner with the Administration in enforcing any new regulations, laws, or policies affecting aluminum extruders.

AEC members support well over 30,000 American workers across the United States, with more than 90 extrusion operations across 35 states.