Steel industry leaders have armed the Congressional Steel Caucus chairman, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), with a set of requests to bring to a scheduled meeting today with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, including pushing the Department of Commerce to help strengthen the defense industrial base, maintaining China’s non-market economy status, and considering self-initiation methods to expedite relief from unfair trade practices and subdue overcapacity in the industry.
[ Isabelle Hoagland| March 29, 2017 [Inside US Trade]
The ask-fors were presented during the Congressional Steel Caucus’ annual hearing, “America Rebounding: Steel in 2017 and Beyond,” on March 29 at Capitol Hill. The meeting featured members of the steel caucus and steel industry representatives including Roger Newport, CEO of AK Steel; Tracy Porter, executive vice president of Commercial Metals Company; Edward Vore, CEO of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products; Terence Hartford, vice president of ATI Defense; Tom Conway, international vice president of United Steelworkers; Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing; and Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
The American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association, Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports and the Specialty Steel Industry of North America were among trade associations represented at the meeting.
When Murphy asked the panel what he should discuss with Ross later today, Newport underlined the role that steel materials play in national security and asked that Murphy make sure Ross understands the importance of the issue.
