Kaptur on Trump steel report: Workers need relief, not more inaction

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), today issued the following statement regarding the section 232 steel report sent by the U.S. Department of Commerce to President Trump.

'Now that the section 232 report has finally been delivered to the President, he has 90 days to act. One thing has not changed since the investigation began is that steelworkers and communities like Lorain, Ohio, who have been battered by job losses, need relief now,' said Kaptur.

'After delays and a missed deadline by this Administration, I call on the President and his team to brief Congress on the report's findings and to provide an expedited plan of action to ensure that the U.S. takes an appropriate response to the well-documented manipulation of the global steel market by countries like China and Russia,' concluded Kaptur.

The report was the result of President Trump initiating an investigation through the Department of Commerce to look into actions the federal government could take to keep illegal foreign steel from disrupting U.S. steel markets and harming American workers.

In August of last year, Kaptur wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to inquire about delays into a Commerce Department investigation of steel imports and illegal dumping of steel. This letter came after Kaptur testified at a Commerce Department hearing (video) on May 24 and urged the Administration to expedite the investigation and any related action. Secretary Ross told Kaptur at the hearing that the report would be completed by June of 2017, a self-imposed deadline that was missed by more than six months. Kaptur was the only Member of Congress to testify.

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