In June of last year, the Trump administration imposed the Section 232 tariffs, 10 percent on imported aluminum and 25 percent on imported steel. Many small businesses applied for exclusions, hoping to avoid the costly tariffs. It’s been a slow process for many applicants, made slower by the government shutdown. Todd Adams is president of Sanitube, a manufacturer of steel supplies based in Florida, who’s been trying to navigate the exclusion process. Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal called him up to see how the the shutdown is impacting his business.

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