Strategic tariffs have spurred U.S. manufacturing investment and created thousands of U.S. jobs.
For Immediate Release: Nov. 11, 2026
Washington, D.C. — As the incoming Congress prepares to take on the future of America’s tariffs, a new Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) report evidences that strong, durable trade enforcement protects American workers and spurs manufacturing investment.
“At a moment of political transition and debate over the president’s trade agenda, some policymakers may be tempted to roll back enforcement measures simply because of who advanced them,” AAM President Scott Paul said. “That would be a serious mistake. Trade enforcement is not the province of one president or one party. It is a longstanding, bipartisan responsibility, and, as the report shows, an essential tool for American workers, manufacturers, and our economic and national security.”
“How Trade Enforcement Strengthens American Manufacturing” comes as manufacturers confront persistent global overcapacity, foreign subsidies, dumping and increasingly sophisticated efforts to circumvent U.S. trade measures. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as cited in the report, projects global excess steel capacity alone will reach 745 million metric tons by 2028, roughly eight times annual U.S. steel production.
“A robust domestic manufacturing sector not only provides good jobs; it roots communities across our nation,” United Steelworkers International President Roxanne Brown said. “We cannot allow American workers to be forced into a race to the bottom on wages and working conditions as bad actors dump their products into our market. Instead, we need modernized trade enforcement tools, including strategically placed tariffs, that allow our domestic industries to compete on a level playing field.”
Following Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which were applied in President Donald Trump’s first term and sustained by President Joe Biden, America’s steel manufacturers have announced more than $22 billion in capital investments. As AAM’s report finds, trade enforcement has also spurred growth across a wide array of other U.S. sectors, including solar and glass, but overcapacity and unfair trade practices continue to distort the global market.
“From my experience in both the U.S. Senate and the White House, few policymakers and staff understand trade enforcement policy, its history, present-day use, or why both the Trump and Biden administrations used executive authority to increase tariffs,” Dr. Carolina Ferrerosa Young, the report’s author, said. “Many trade enforcement policies have been on the books for over a hundred years with the goal to create a level playing field for American producers and workers. Over time, as global market conditions changed and the use of unfair trade practices became more widespread, trade enforcement has not been as robust and manufacturing communities suffered as a result. It’s clear that across sectors, from solar manufacturing to steel to wood furniture, American manufacturers committed to domestic supply chains and job creation have benefitted from these tools and are hoping to see renewed bipartisan enthusiasm for reform.”
Ferrerosa Young previously served as the Chief Economic Advisor for former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Economic Policy Advisor to former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). In AAM’s new report, she examines more than a century of U.S. trade enforcement and presents case studies from the steel, aluminum, solar and glass industries, as well as small manufacturers, confronting unfair trade.
Read the report here. View the report press conference. Interviews available upon request.