Two-and-a-half years after his inauguration, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to implement his campaign promise to expand the use of American steel in infrastructure projects.

The July 2019 executive order, which followed Trump's earlier imposition of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, strengthened existing "Buy American" preferences by mandating that 95% of steel and iron used in federal contracts be made in the United States.

While the steel industry has been buffeted by long- and short-term challenges, including stronger foreign competition and the economic slowdown from the coronavirus pandemic, there are signs that the U.S. steel industry has gained ground against its overseas rivals.

Federal data shows that the amount of steel imported to the U.S. has been declining.

Between 2018 and 2019, the tonnage of foreign steel imported into the U.S. fell by 17%. In the first quarter of this year, the tonnage of foreign steel imported into the U.S. fell even more sharply, by almost 22%, from the same period a year earlier.

"If less structural steel is being imported from China and elsewhere, more American steel is being used to build with," said Lisa Harrison, senior vice president of communications for the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The steel industry isn't out of the woods yet; its calls for an infrastructure plan have not yet been heeded, for instance. But Trump issued the executive order he promised, and it's having at least some of its desired effect. So we rate this a Promise Kept.