U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), the chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, recently led a bipartisan letter of support of a federal investigation into steel imports’ impact on national security and the strategic importance of American-made steel.
American steel is used to produce aircraft carriers, armored vehicles, submarines, states the letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and action must be taken to ensure that the steel industry continues to support national defense and jobs going forward.
“In order to ensure that steel continues to be made in America — and that we will never be vulnerable to foreign pressure or coercion in the event of a true national security emergency affecting the homeland or our interests around the world — something must be done to address the onslaught of imports affecting the industry,” the letter states.
“In April, the total steel import market share was 28 percent. Moreover, in the first four months of this year, total steel imports have increased 23 percent above the same time period last year. These imports are often traded well below market value or are subsidized by foreign governments, preventing American companies from competing on a level playing field,” the letter said.
The U.S. steel industry directly employs 142,000 workers and supports an additional 1 million jobs, Murphy and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN), the vice chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, noted in the letter.
Congress has taken action to protect the U.S. steel industry through the Trade Preferences Extension Act and the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, the letter notes, and the Department of Commerce maintains 191 antidumping and countervailing duty orders on steel products from 33 countries.
“While we believe these actions have been helpful in addressing the ongoing steel import crisis, more must be done,” the lawmakers wrote. “That is why we welcome the department’s investigation into the impact of steel imports on national security. It is important that the federal government use every tool available to address this issue and carefully examine how unfairly traded steel is affecting the prosperity and security of this nation.”
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum in April directing Ross to prioritize the investigation into the effects of steel imports on national security. The study will look at overcapacity, dumping, illegal subsidies, and other factors, to determine whether steel imports harm U.S. economic security and military preparedness.
“This investigation will help ensure steel import issues do not make us less safe in a world that is increasingly fraught with geopolitical tensions,” Ross said in April at the time of the announcement of the investigation.
The president has broad power to adjust imports, including through the use of tariffs, if excessive foreign imports are found to be a threat to US national security.