USW International President Tom Conway appeared on the Leslie Marshall Show to discuss the vital role U.S. trade policy play in protecting the nation’s strength and security.
Tariffs enacted through Section 232 of U.S. trade law, Conway said, continue to provide needed relief for domestic steel and aluminum, industries that are both essential to maintaining military operations and critical infrastructure.
Since the measures were put into place, the domestic steel industry has seen the creation of thousands of new jobs and important capital investments to keep America’s steel manufacturing the cleanest in the world.
“What you make is really the backbone of what you are,” said Conway. “And what made America a powerhouse was our ability to do that, and our ability to stand up in industry when we needed to.”
Marshall and Conway also discussed the importance of securing clean energy supply chains as well as building out domestic industry in such a way that the jobs of the future remain good, union jobs.
Even though the U.S. manufacturers face competition from companies in places like China and the E.U., the growing need for minerals like copper, lithium and nickel as well as for products like solar cells and wind turbines present opportunities if the nation acts deliberately.
“This is a long-term project that we’re on, and this is a fundamental change in the way we think about things,” Conway said.
“We can make things pretty competitively in this country, and that makes the country thrive.”
To listen to the entire interview below.