CTTF launches Aluminum Now campaign with video aimed at president

In response to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross' recently released recommendations to adjust aluminum imports, CTTF, a trade group committed to bringing attention to the issue of global aluminum overcapacity, has launched a campaign video titled "Aluminum Now-- Mr. President, Make U.S. Aluminum a Priority." The video, at cttf.com/aluminumnow/, makes a direct call to President Trump to take broad, comprehensive action on aluminum imports.

The trade group reports that the U.S. primary aluminum industry has lost 62 percent of its production in the past five years. On the other hand, state-owned smelters in China, the Middle East, and in other Asian countries have added 17 million tons of new capacity since 2009. Additionally, because aluminum is used by the U.S. military in tanks, navy vessels, and fighter jets, overdependence on foreign sources puts national security in danger, according to CTTF.

“The Aluminum Now campaign is looking for the administration to impose broad comprehensive tariffs on foreign aluminum imports immediately," said CTTF Executive Director Mark Duffy.

The U.S. aluminum market is responsible for more than 10,600 American jobs and contributes over $6 billion in U.S. economic output each year. Further layoffs and capacity cuts are inevitable without intervention, says CTTF.