Steel Industry, Union Rally on Capitol Hill for Bill to Stop Unfair Trade

WASHINGTON, DC – Four organizations representing the American steel industry and the United
Steelworkers today took their case to Capitol Hill urging action on legislation strengthening U.S.
trade remedy laws to crack down on unfair trade practices and enhance the enforcement tools needed
to combat repeat offenders of the U.S. trade remedy laws. Nearly 30 attendees representing steel producers, pipe and tube manufacturers and union workers across the United States highlighted that dumped and subsidized steel from China and elsewhere has harmed the American steel industry and applauded the introduction of the “Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act (LTPF),” introduced in the House by Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Beth Van Duyne (R- TX) and in the Senate by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN). The bipartisan bills currently have a combined 80 cosponsors.

Representatives from ArcelorMittal, Atkore, Cleveland-Cliffs, Metallus, Inc., North American Stainless, Nucor, Outokumpu, SSAB Americas, Steel Dynamics, Vallourec, and United Steelworkers
(USW)— in addition to the steel advocacy groups American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Committee
on Pipe and Tube Imports (CPTI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) — participated in the
events.

The group hosted a breakfast this morning at which the industry and union participants heard from
Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Congressional Steel Caucus Chairman; Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Congressional
Steel Caucus Vice Chairman; Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) and other members of
the Steel Caucus and co-sponsors of the LTPF 2.0 legislation. The chief House sponsors of the bill, Sewell and Van Duyne, in addition to Mrvan, also held a press conference and rally with steel fair trade supporters after the breakfast; and, later in the day met with nearly a dozen members of Congress, including leadership, to urge action on the bill and possible inclusion in trade legislative packages this year.

AISI president and CEO Kevin Dempsey said, “The American steel industry has faced repeated surges of unfairly traded steel imports in recent years —due largely to dumped and subsidized imports from many countries and regions, including those that produce steel with higher carbon intensity than U.S. steelmakers. By strengthening the effectiveness of the U.S. trade laws, this bill will help give the American public confidence that their government has every tool available to fight for a level playing field for the American steel industry and our workers. We thank the sponsors and cosponsors of the LTPF legislation and the leadership of the Steel Caucus for their continued support of the American steel industry and our workers.”

Executive Director and General Counsel of CPTI Roger B. Schagrin said, “U.S. steel pipe and tube producers and their employees rely on a level playing field and this legislation provides tools which will ensure the industry can continue to compete in a world market plagued by steel overcapacity and distortions caused by Chinese government ownership of their steel industry. We commend the sponsors of this bill for their commitment and leadership on this important legislation and urge Congress to act this year to ensure that the pipe and tube industry and its workers can play a vital role in the U.S. economy and support our national security.”

SMA President Philip K. Bell said, “We thank the cosponsors of the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act and members of the Congressional Steel Caucus for joining steel companies, associations and others for a day of activities on Capitol Hill devoted to passing this legislation, which would update trade remedy law to combat unfair trade practices in China and elsewhere that harm American workers.”

USW President David McCall said, “USW members know first-hand the critical importance of passing the bipartisan Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0 to protect their jobs from unfair trade. This bill would strengthen our nation’s ability to counteract foreign subsidies and combat the dumping of unfairly priced goods into our markets from bad actors like China. The USW appreciates Sen. Sherrod Brown, Reps. Terri Sewell and Beth Van Duyne, and other members of Congress for their leadership in continuing to press for this crucial legislation.”

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Media contacts:
Lisa Harrison, AISI, lharrison@steel.org
Gregg Walker, SMA, walker@steelnet.org
Tamara Browne, CPTI, tbrowne@schagrinassociates.com
Jess Kamm, USW, jkamm@usw.org