How is a tariff on steel going to hurt the U.S. Auto industry? The U.S. makes the steel. A tariff largely affects the countries that import the Steel. Domestic goods are not imported goods. Some companies that make steel in the U.S. are United States Steel Corporation, AK Steel Holding Corporation, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. This industry will greatly benefit from a tariff as it limits pricing competition with companies that export steel/aluminium to the U.S. Possibly the price of steel may rise for auto manufacturers in the U.S. but these costs usually fall on the consumers.