President Joe Biden is calling on the U.S. Trade Representative to triple the China tariff rate on steel and aluminum imports as he makes the rounds in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. Biden's demand to raise the current 7.5% average tariff on steel and aluminum is an effort to make clear that his administration's recent warnings about China's trade practices are not empty threats. In an interview with CNBC's Sara Eisen, Yellen said that tariffs were not off the table if those overcapacity qualms went unaddressed. As China shrugs off the overcapacity concerns, the Biden administration is doubling down on what it perceives as the threat to global trade. "China's policy-driven overcapacity poses a serious risk to the future of the American steel and aluminum industry," National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard said on a call with reporters on Tuesday.

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Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Yellen, China shrugs, Biden, Lael Brainard Organizations: Economic Cooperation, U.S . Trade, United Steelworkers, Economic Locations: Asia, San Francisco, China, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh