U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) called on the Obama administration on Friday to provide a level playing field for the U.S. steel industry against imports that are subsidized by foreign governments.
The senators joined 23 colleagues in a letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker that requests an administrative review of a countervailing duties order on government-subsidized Turkish rebar to ensure the assessment of accurate penalties against the product.
The complaints against Turkish imports come as part of a years-long effort by the U.S. steel industry to persuade the U.S. Court of International Trade and U.S. International Trade Commission to pursue penalties against unfair rebar imports.
“Mississippi steel workers deserve to know that their government is fighting to ensure that unfair trade practices will not be tolerated,” Wicker said. “The administration needs to protect American companies and jobs from being directly undermined by imports of steel rebar subsidized by foreign governments. Taking action now would allow our workers to remain competitive globally.”
Rebar imports from Turkey, despite rulings favorable to the U.S. industry, have doubled since 2010 and continue to grow, accounting for approximately 80 percent of rebar imports to the U.S.
“We must ensure that our antidumping and countervailing duties accurately reflect unfair trade practices so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete on a level playing field and are protected from unfairly-traded imports,” the letter to Pritzker said. “As members who represent rebar manufacturing facilities, we understand the negative impacts that unfairly-traded imports can have on this industry, its workers, and their families, as well as on the American economy. The industry employs more than 10,000 workers throughout the country, all of whom rely on the effective enforcement of our trade laws.”