On April 27, 2017 the White House Office of the Press Secretary released a Presidential Memorandum to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce outlining the Section 232 investigation into aluminum imports. Section 232 investigations are conducted to determine how certain imports effect national security.
According to the memorandum, the White House is requesting consideration be made into how excess capacity as a result of artificially low prices can affect the U.S.’s economic welfare, potential unemployment risks, skill or investment losses, and, “the domestic production of aluminum needed for projected national defense requirements.”
If impairment to national security is found in the investigation the Secretary of Commerce is tasked with recommending actions to counteract those threats.
The memorandum can be accessed at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/27/presidential-memorandum-secretary-commerce