On February 27, 2020, in Memorandum on the Effect of Titanium Sponge Imports on the National Security, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will not impose additional tariffs on titanium sponges under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The President concurred with the Secretary of Commerce’s report that imports of titanium sponges threaten national security, but other measures will be explored to counter this threat.
The Secretaries of Defense and Commerce will form a working group to increase access to titanium sponges “for use for national defense and critical industries in an emergency.” As over 94% of titanium sponge imports are from Japan, the working group will invite their counterparts in Japan to participate in discussions.
Memorandum on the Effect of Titanium Sponge Imports on the National Security can be found here:
