U.S. Lawmakers Defeat Law To Override Steel Tariffs

By Agence France-Presse The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly May 8 to defeat a law overriding President George Bush's imposition of steel import tariffs of up to 30%. The legislators voted 386-to-30 to put aside indefinitely the law, which had aimed to replace Bush's measure with lower tariffs, mostly about 20%, as recommended by the U.S. International Trade Commission. The vote effectively killed the legislation, sponsored by Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson. Officials at the Port of New Orleans, located in Jefferson's district, had strongly objected to Bush's tariff decision, complaining it would cause substantial harm to their business. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2002