Letter to the Hon. Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce - Sen. Smith Pushes for Action to Support Iron and Steel Workers in Minnesota

Letter

Dear Secretary Ross:

I urge you to promptly conclude your department's Section 232 investigation into the effects of steel imports on national security and make recommendations for strong action that will ensure the United States maintains a robust iron and steel industry. I have heard from many Minnesotans about this important issue, and I agree with them that urgent action is necessary. The iron and steel industry is a critical component of our nation's defense industrial base, and I am concerned that the recent increase in illegal steel dumping puts our national security and the jobs of thousands of iron and steel workers at risk.

Minnesota's Iron Range accounts for about 75 percent of total iron ore production in the United States, but since 2015, numerous mines have been shuttered and thousands of workers have lost their jobs because of increased imports of foreign steel -- particularly imports from China, which provides massive subsidies to many of its state-run steel companies. While the iron and steel industry has rebounded from its bottoming out and has put over 1,000 miners back to work, the flood of steel imports continues to put at risk the experienced workers and critical investments needed to maintain a strong iron and steel industry that can be called upon in a time of need.

When President Trump ran for office, he pledged that he would "put new American steel into the spine of this country," and that's a goal I share with him. Unfortunately, after President Trump announced the Section 232 investigation in April 2017, steel imports increased by more than 20 percent, in part because importers sought to stockpile cheap, imported steel ahead of potential action on the case. Your delay in acting on this matter, therefore, has actually made the U.S. iron and steel industry worse off, not better off. For that reason, it is important to act promptly to stem the tide of steel imports by concluding your Section 232 investigation and making recommendations to the President for strong actions that will appropriately support the U.S. iron and steel sector, provide our workers with long-term certainty about their jobs, and keep our nation secure.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

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