BEER INSTITUTE CONDEMNS ENDING OF COUNTRY EXEMPTIONS FOR CLOSEST ALUMINUM TRADING ALLIES

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute, issued the following statement after President Trump failed to exempt trading allies from the 10 percent aluminum tariff:

“We appreciate President Trump’s desire to bring back jobs in the U.S. aluminum industry. However, the Beer Institute and its members stand united against the recently-imposed tariffs on imported aluminum. These tariffs are a new $347 million tax on the U.S. beer industry. Over the long run, these tariffs will drive aluminum prices higher globally, increasing the cost of beer production for all brewers. The tariffs are already having an immediate and disproportionate impact on American brewers and American jobs.

“Ending the exemptions for our trade allies will only lead to more uncertainty in the aluminum market. The price of aluminum had already skyrocketed since President Trump announced tariffs on aluminum, meaning increased prices for America’s more than 5,000 active brewers and importers.

“In order to compete, American brewers need a fair and transparent pricing system for aluminum where there is a more diverse set of inputs and a two-factor system of pricing product premiums – tariff-included and non-tariff – so America’s brewers no longer pay a tariff-inflated price for aluminum produced right here in the United States. Industries thrive when there is predictability and accountability in the metals market. The Department of Commerce and Department of Justice should investigate the unregulated Midwest Premium to ensure pricing irregularities and other unfair market practices do not disproportionately have a harmful effect on end users of aluminum.”

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 The Beer Institute is a national trade association for the American brewing industry, representing brewers of all sizes, as well as beer importers and industry suppliers. First founded in 1862 as the U.S. Brewers Association, the Beer Institute is committed today to the development of sound public policy and to the values of civic duty and personal responsibility. For additional updates from the Beer Institute, visit our website, follow @BeerInstitute on Twitter, like the Beer Institute on Facebook, and follow the Beer Institute on Instagram.