The Trump administration is talking with the more than two dozen countries in the European Union as well as Argentina and Australia about exempting them from the president’s steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told the House Ways and Means Committee about the possible new deals during a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Lighthizer also said that talks with South Korea over a possible exemption would be discussed during bi-lateral negotiations with Seoul.

Team Trump has already granted exemptions for Canada and Mexico.

The president imposed a 25 percent tax on imported steel and a 10 percent levy on imported aluminum, a move he said would protect American jobs in those industries.

But critics argue that the tariffs could spark a trade war and wind up doing more harm than good to the US economy.

With Reuters