How Are Steel & Aluminum Tariffs Impacting Ohio?

A new report by the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, The Economic Impact of the Trade Skirmish of 2018 on the Nation and Ohio, examines impacts with an emphasis on Ohio.

The researchers found that the trade war has not had a great impact on the economy to date, with the 2017-2018 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act providing enough stimulus to overcome harm from the tariffs and retaliatory tariffs.

However, the study notes that Ohio is the state that is most affected by the retaliatory tariffs put in place by Canada. And a poll of Ohio manufacturers that was completed in January shows that more of Ohio’s manufacturers were harmed by the trade skirmish than benefited from it.

The report offers cautions about the continuation or expansion of the trade actions as there are signs that metal-users are beginning to make adjustments in their supply chains including where they source metal-intense products.