MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday announced an agreement to require that all public work projects in the country use steel from Mexican companies.
“The commitment we are making here is that the government’s purchases will be steel produced in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference.
The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum last year on Mexico and other countries.
Mexico has been seeking a deal for the tariffs to be lifted; under one proposal, a specified volume from Mexico could enter duty free or at a reduced rate, and any imports above that level would be charged the full 50% tariff.
But last week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Mexico’s auto and steel industries tthey should not expect the renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to remove these tariffs on their sectors, as exclusively reported by Reuters.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes, Writing by Laura Gottesdiener, Editing by Iñigo Alexander)
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