Senators Seek to Attach Lifting Tariff Titanium Sponge Proposal to FAA Bill
Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., would like to get a removal of the tariff on titanium sponge attached to the must-pass Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill. There is a 15% tariff on titanium sponge. Timet, a Nevada company, once tried to get quotas applied to titanium sponge imports through a Section 232 action (see 2002280047) and also had a failed trade remedy case; it no longer makes titanium sponge.
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Cortez-Masto, Blackburn and others had earlier introduced a bill to eliminate the tariff. Senate leadership is trying to keep non-germane amendments off the FAA bill; because titanium sponge is used in aerospace manufacturing, it's not clear if the amendment's supporters can convince their colleagues that it belongs in the package.
If the amendment is accepted, the tariff would end 30 days after passage, but could return at the end of 2031, or if the administration finds there is enough domestic production for national security needs, or if there are increases in imports of titanium sponge from non-allies.