The United Steelworkers (USW) union has asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to launch an investigation into imported tires under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974.  

Section 201 gives the federal government the ability to apply temporary tariffs or limits that are designed to protect domestic industries from surges in imported products.

It does not require proof of unfair foreign trade practices or policies, unlike traditional anti-dumping investigations. 

In a letter sent to Greer, USW officials, citing the closing of U.S. tire manufacturing plants, called Section 201 “a powerful tool that, with the right relief measures, could stabilize” the U.S. tire market “and fuel (its) growth. 

"A properly designed Section 201 initiation would cover not only passenger vehicle and light truck tires, but truck and bus tires, off the road tires and aircraft tires. Each of these major tire segments are key to overall transportation, industrial, mining and agricultural production and our economic and national security.”  

The rest of the union’s letter to Greer doesn’t specify how Section 201 would be applied to imported tires nor exact measures the USW wants the government to take, stating that the Trump administration “has the power and the authority to act under existing law” and pledging to work with Greer’s department as it considers “what relief measures would achieve our goals.” 

Thailand was the biggest exporter of passenger, light truck and medium truck tires to the U.S. in 2025, according to MTD's 2026 Facts Issue.