With the intent of urging Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to schedule a meeting to discuss trade-enforcement-related issues, U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Mike Bost (R-IL), and John Shimkus (R-IL) recently sent her a letter after the controversial announcement from U.S. Steel Corp. that the company may temporarily idle operations at its Granite City Works facility in Illinois.
Earlier this
year, President Obama signed into law a provision, introduced by Davis
and Bost, which would protect U.S. workers from the illegal dumping of
foreign products in U.S. markets.
In addition, three anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions have been filed by multiple companies in the domestic steel industry seeking to protect U.S. companies from unfair foreign competition; they’re currently under review by the International Trade Commission (ITC).
“Steel workers in my district cannot wait for the federal government to implement trade provisions that were signed into law months ago,” Davis said. “We need the U.S. Department of Commerce to act now. We need them to implement the changes my colleagues and I authored to hold countries who break our trade laws accountable and prevent further job loss within our steel industry.”
“”We must work together on behalf of our steelworkers and their families to ensure this rollercoaster ride doesn’t continue,” Bost said. “Rep. Davis and I were successful in securing enhanced trade remedies to protect against illegal trade practices. I am eager to hear from the Department of Commerce how these provisions will be implemented and help restore certainty and ensure that our efforts to put American workers on an even playing field in the global marketplace are successful.”