Jun 6, 2015 2 min read

The American steel industry is under attack from a surge of unfairly traded imports across a wide range of products from a variety of countries, many of whom continue to disrupt world markets by subsidizing the production of steel products and dumping those products in the U.S. market. U.S. trade remedy laws are the only means by which the steel industry can mitigate the harm from unfair imports and help prevent more plants from being idled and more workers from losing their jobs.

On behalf of the American steel industry, I would like to thank U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a Republican from Hazleton, for his tenacious support of steel producers and our workers by co-sponsoring the American Trade Enforcement Effectiveness Act, which would improve the effectiveness of our trade laws, and for signing letters to House leadership on trade enforcement.

If the American steel industry is to regain its pre-recession strength, then the federal government must not let trade cheaters off the hook. These initiatives support American workers, whose jobs are put at risk by global competitors who skirt trade laws, and go a long way in promoting more fair competition for the American steel industry.

Thomas J. Gibson

Washington, D.C.

Gibson is the president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute.