MANCHIN URGES SECRETARY ROSS TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO AMERICAN STEEL COMPANIES
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asking for information about the ongoing investigation into the impact of steel and aluminum imports on our national security.
Senator Manchin said in part: “In the months since the investigations began, steel imports have only increased as foreign suppliers have rushed to dump additional product onto the American market in anticipation of the investigation’s conclusion. This state of affairs is hurting American workers and companies, who cannot be asked to continue bearing the cost of inaction here. I urge the administration to bring these investigations to a close and provide a meaningful remedy to protect our nation’s steel and aluminum industries from such egregious dumping practices.”
The United States needs to maintain reliable domestic sources of steel and aluminum to outfit our military and safeguard our national security. This need will continue as long as ships, tanks, and aircraft remain critical components of our military operations. Steel and aluminum are also major components of our airport infrastructure, water sewage systems, seaports, and energy infrastructure, all of which facilitate our ability to defend our homeland in the event of armed conflict. Allowing dumped steel and aluminum from foreign nations exacerbates our reliance on imports and places our nation at the mercy of suppliers from potentially hostile foreign states.
Read the full letter below or click here:
Dear Secretary Ross:
I commend you for your role in the Trump Administration’s decision to self-initiate an investigation into the impact of steel and aluminum imports on our national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. I write now to inquire into the status of these investigations and urge their prompt conclusion.
Steel and aluminum are bedrock components of our military operations, and American steel and aluminum suppliers have played a critical role in providing our Armed Forces with the materials they need for their ships, tanks, and aircraft, and steel even forms a major component of our energy infrastructure.
Our national security requires that our nation maintain a healthy industrial base that will allow us to meet all future challenges. Being forced to rely on imports of steel from nations like China, who do not always share our foreign policy goals, would place our nation in a weakened position, especially in times of war. Unfortunately, absent relief from Chinese companies’ aggressive dumping practices, that is the situation we may face in the future.
In the months since the investigations began, steel imports have only increased as foreign suppliers have rushed to dump additional product onto the American market in anticipation of the investigation’s conclusion. This state of affairs is hurting American workers and companies, who cannot be asked to continue bearing the cost of inaction here. I urge the administration to bring these investigations to a close and provide a meaningful remedy to protect our nation’s steel and aluminum industries from such egregious dumping practices.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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