SteelBriefs | Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03) Profile

Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03)

Congressman Jim Banks is a native Hoosier, born and raised in Columbia City. He earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration from Grace College. While serving in the Indiana State Senate from 2010 to 2016, he chaired the Senate Veteran Affairs and the Military Committee where he led the charge on many significant pro-growth, pro-family, and pro-veteran reforms.

In addition to his service in the State Senate, Congressman Banks is also a past president of the Columbia City Rotary Club, former chairman of the Whitley County Republican Party, and has served on the Whitley County Council and Northeast Indiana Workforce Development Board.

Congressman Banks currently serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Supply Corps officer. In 2014 and 2015, he took a leave of absence from the Indiana State Senate to deploy to Afghanistan during Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel. Due to a unique state law regarding leaves of absence, his wife, Amanda, was elected to serve in his place during the deployment. Banks is often told she made a better State Senator than he did.

Banks was elected in 2016 to represent Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District and currently serves as chairman of the Republican Study Committee for the 117th Congress. Banks serves as a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the House Committee on Education and Labor. Additionally, he serves as the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems, co-chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s Future of Defense Task Force and sits on the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors.

Amid Congressman Banks’ work as a public servant, he has been recognized for outstanding service and leadership. In 2018 and 2019, Congressman Banks received the Family Research Council’s “True Blue” award for his 100% pro-life, pro-family voting record. He has also received NFIB’s “Guardian of Small Business” award and the FreedomFighter Award from FreedomWorks in recognition of his dedication to economic freedom and personal liberty.

Congressman Banks, alongside his wife Amanda, are the parents to three daughters, Lillian, Elizabeth, and Joann. They are honored to call northeast Indiana home.

More information on Representative Banks can be found on his website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Why did you join the Congressional Steel Caucus?

Steel is the backbone of American manufacturing and the steel industry is an extremely important employer in my district that provides Hoosiers with stable employment and high-paying jobs. The average steel worker in Indiana makes around 100 thousand dollars a year and Indiana accounts for 27% of America’s steel production and has been the largest steel producing state for over 40 years. The Congressional Steel Caucus offers an important opportunity to work across the aisle to bolster American manufacturing and northeast Indiana’s economy.

Our industry’s legislative priorities this Congress are: ensuring unfair trade practices are addressed, including preserving the Section 232 steel tariffs and quotas; and, investing in infrastructure.  What are your thoughts on these issues?

Unfortunately, there’s never been a global “free market” for steel products. Foreign nations use tariffs, subsidies, and other state interventions to favor their steel producers and crowd out American industry. Unfair, preferential policies have reduced overall steel imports by 8%. Section 232 tariffs allow American steel producers to compete internationally on a more level playing field. I strongly supported President Trump’s decision to expand Section 232 steel tariffs by 25% and have urged President Biden to keep Section 232 tariffs at their current rate.

Congress should make a dual investment in physical infrastructure and American industry. To that end, any infrastructure bill should be paired with Buy American provisions that ensure that the bill supports our steel industry and the 2 million American steel workers. And, for taxpayer’s sake, any infrastructure bill should be limited to America’s actual, physical infrastructure.

Our industry’s sustainability story is a major topic also, as our member companies continue to work as strong environmental stewards. What are your thoughts on sustainability in the manufacturing sector?

Competitiveness and sustainability are inseparable and the twin pillars of a healthy manufacturing sector.

The U.S. has some of the world’s most stringent environmental protections. Steel manufactured in China and in other foreign nations means more emissions and far more environmental destruction. The best thing businesses can do to preserve the environment is to make their products in the USA. On the flipside, burdensome regulations that sends jobs overseas are the worst possible thing for the environment. Indiana’s steel and iron industries employ 192,114 Hoosiers—that’s their most important contribution to environmental sustainability.