Efforts Flounder Temper Steel and Aluminum Import Duties

Before resigning on Tuesday, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn was reportedly summoning executives of U.S. companies that depend on steel and aluminum imports to meet with President Trump this week in an attempt to halt or at least temper his proposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. Yet, Cohn's resignation seemed to reflect a hardened stance by the president.House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has urged Trump to reconsider the tariffs by sharing his concerns personally with the president "on multiple occasions," according to his office."We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement. "The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize those gains."And GOP lawmakers are mulling potential legislative action to block the tariffs. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and the panel's Trade Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., have drafted a letter to Trump calling for tariffs that are "narrow, targeted, and focused on addressing unfairly traded products, without disrupting the flow of fairly traded products for American businesses and consumers."