The United States has imposed a 10% tariff on aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on steel imports since March 2018, following a determination by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross that such imports were threatening to impair U.S. national security. In January 2020, Ross informed the White House that domestic U.S. capacity had not yet reached the threshold required to remove the threat to national security, as determined by the Department of Commerce. One possible reason for the lack of growth in the domestic steel and aluminum production industry is the surge in imports of aluminum and steel derivatives.