The US does not domestically produce oil and it must import oil from outside. Therefore, in the case of oil, the USA does not have any domestic producers to protect by imposing tariffs. Also, imposing tariffs would make oil costlier which will affect the USA economy badly as oil is very essential to meet the energy needs of the US economy. Therefore, the USA does not impose tariffs on oil.
In the case of steel, the USA can domestically produce steel. Cheap import of steel affects the US domestic producers. Therefore, the USA imposes tariffs on steel to protect domestic producers.
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