BEER INSTITUTE CALLS FOR STABILITY IN ALUMINUM MARKET

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute, issued the following statement after President Trump continued 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.

“Although continuing to exempt our trade allies is a positive step, we have seen the price of aluminum skyrocket since President Trump announced the tariffs—even with these countries being excluded. America’s brewers, in effect, pay a tariff-inflated price for aluminum – even on metal produced in the United States.

“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 country exemptions are reflected. 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.