CONTACT: Roxanne Brown, (202) 778-4384, rbrown@usw.org
The United Steelworkers (USW) released the following statement today in anticipation of a vote in Congress to reassert its authority in trade matters:
Today's expected vote is a marker that Congress wants a role in evaluating relief under Section 232 of U.S. trade laws. It is without question that Congress has oversight authority.
But, it's a bit ironic that the Republican-led Congress wants to exercise that authority now after it essentially sat on its hands for years during which unfair trade and surging imports of steel and aluminum devastated the American industries and destroyed jobs.
Now, action is underway to ensure that the United States sustains sufficient steel and aluminum production to protect national security. Billions of dollars in new investment and tens of thousands of jobs have already been put in motion since the Section 232 investigations began. Congress must be careful not to jeopardize national security, scuttle that investment and throw thousands of workers into the unemployment lines.
In addition, opponents of the tariffs must stop deliberately misleading the public about national security. What does pose a threat to national security is continual diminishment of U.S. steel and aluminum-making capacity caused by unfair trade practices, mostly by China. The tariffs are intended to shore up U.S. capacity to ensure its availability for defense and our critical infrastructure.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.