Steel Imports Up Amid Push for Quotas

Steel imports rose in March after a four-month decline, a reversal that could help boost support in Congress for quotas on foreign shipments, the Commerce Department reported. Shipments of foreign steel to the U.S. totaled 2.5 million metric tons in March, according to preliminary government figures. That’s a 25% increase from February. Still, the March total represents a 30% drop from November. Shipments from Japan and Brazil, two of the chief targets of the U.S. industry’s trade complaints, were up 39% and 54%, respectively. Rising imports are blamed for thousands of layoffs and bankruptcies at U.S. companies. Last month the House passed a quota bill despite the threat of a presidential veto.