Politicians representing companies on each side of the issue have been lobbying the White House for months, touching off a fierce debate over the political implications of the tariffs for Bush's re-election as much as their effect on the economy.
"These tariffs have hurt the president's political base," said Representative Joe Knollenberg, a Republican from Michigan, who represents many of the industries that want the tariffs repealed.
Politics could easily trump economic arguments.
Several states in the Rust Belt -- Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan -- will be pivotal in next year's presidential election.
The question will be whether the steel industry and steel unions are considered more important for victory than the numerous but smaller companies that use steel.
Democratic candidates for president have seized on the loss of manufacturing jobs as an issue to use against Bush, but few responded Friday to requests for their opinion on the steel tariffs.
An exception was Representative Dick Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat, who has won support from some unions.
"Repealing or modifying the steel industry relief program will only further jeopardize the lives and livelihoods of workers in the steel industry," he said.
To further complicate the issue, the US lost a case at the WTO this year that had been brought by Europe contending the steel tariffs went beyond the legal provisions allowed under international trading rules to protect against a surge in imports.
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