Workers Converge on Capitol to Demand Action on Steel and Aluminum Imports Before It’s Too Late
A continuous flood of steel and aluminum imports could wipe out American jobs, decimate communities, threaten to put U.S. manufacturers out of business and make the nation’s military more dependent on adversarial countries to equip our fighting men and women if a stalled national security investigation does not conclude.
These are the words that dozens of workers from Lorain, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Gary, Ind., Keewatin, Minn., Ashland, Ky., and other blue-collar communities will deliver to Members of Congress on Sept. 19 and 20 as they storm the halls of Capitol Hill demanding action to save their communities and keep the country safe.
The delayed investigation, known as a Section 232, is part of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The purpose of the investigation is to determine the effect of imports on national security.
The Trump administration promised to unveil the findings of two national security investigations into unfairly traded steel and aluminum imports by the end of June but still hasn't taken action. Meanwhile, steel imports are up more than 21 percent since the investigations were announced and China's steel output continues to grow.
"President Trump won industrial states last year by promising a new path on trade and said he'd look out for America's steelworkers," said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing and a former member of President Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. "But his delay in action on steel and aluminum is contributing to a rise in imports. These steelworkers are coming to Washington to say that a level-playing field is needed now, without delay. The 232 investigations are key to restoring American jobs and security."