The flood of requests from U.S. manufacturers with the Commerce Department to exempt them from the Trump administration's hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports is exposing competitive information to rivals, customers and U.S. metal producers.
The tariff exemptions process is a new front in a battle between U.S. steel and aluminum consumers, fighting to keep prices for those metals down, and U.S. metal producers which argue that foreign rivals have kept prices low with unfair trading practices.
So far, over 22,500 applications for exemptions have landed in Washington and many more arrive each day. Over 4,000 objections have been filed, which is also expected to grow.