"That stops today with a pair of Trumpian actions designed to both bolster supply of and demand for American timber and lumber," he told reporters on a conference call ahead of the signing.
A White House official said that increasing reliance on imported lumber represents a possible national security risk partly because the U.S. military consumes significant quantities of lumber for its construction activities and because increasing dependence on imports for a commodity with ample domestic supplies is a danger to the U.S. economy.
The official did not provide details on a proposed tariff rate under the Section 232 lumber probe, but Trump earlier this month told reporters that he was thinking about imposing a 25% tariff rate on lumber and forest products.