Carol Miller
01/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2026 15:51
Miller Participates in 'State of the Steel' Congressional Hearing
January 15, 2026
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) joined her colleagues on the Congressional Steel Caucus for a State of the Steel hearing, an annual event where leaders from America's steel industry, along with trade and labor representatives, testify before Congress on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry and its workforce. The hearing provided Members of Congress the opportunity to hear directly from industry executives and workers on the current state of American steel and the policies impacting its future.
Congresswoman Miller began by emphasizing the need to strengthen American steel production to protect good-paying jobs for hardworking Americans, the importance of reducing our reliance on foreign nations, and the harmful effects past policies have had on West Virginia's steel and energy sectors.
"Thank you so much. And I want to thank all of you for being here today for this important event. I'm also glad that the Administration and my colleagues in Congress are recognizing the importance of our domestic steel industry.
Steel is vital for bolstering our national security by reducing dependence on the other nations and creating thousands of good-paying jobs. I can't emphasize enough the importance that has played in revitalizing my district.
I married my West Virginian in 1973. That was the year that the number of Members of Congress was reduced from 5 to 4 because of the previous census. I moved into a charming small town. I came from Columbus, Ohio. Huntington had 85,000 people in it. Today there are [47,000]. That's such an example of what bad policy can do to our people, our states, and our jobs. And so many people had to leave our state so they could feed their families. They went elsewhere. I mean even today, when the Biden Administration closed the pipeline on the West Coast, 300 West Virginians had to come home because they'd lost their jobs. So I'm very, very sensitive to this," said Congresswoman Miller
Congresswoman Miller then discussed companies within West Virginia's First Congressional District, including the new Nucor plant in Mason County, that play an important role in the steel industry. She concluded by questioning Lourenco Goncalves, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, on how Trump Administration and House Republican policies will aid in a steel manufacturing resurgence.
"The Cleveland-Cliffs mine in my district produces 2.3 million tons of coke and pulverized coal injections and employs approximately 400 important workers.
Nucor is constructing a 4 billion dollar facility in my district and it will produce 3 million tons of sheet steel annually and create over 800 jobs. The town of Point Pleasant, that whole area of Mason County, it's amazing the feeling that we have watching things coming and growing along the Ohio River. I can't tell you how personally I take this.
As a member of the Trade subcommittee on Ways and Means, I understand the importance of implementing policies that both protect our domestic steel production and increase exports from other nations.
Mr. Goncalves, many of President Trump's priorities related to reshoring American manufacturing, stopping unfair trade, and addressing steel over-capacity by taking real policy actions are top steel industry issues that you have talked about for years. How is Cleveland-Cliffs positioned to take advantage of these policies and to help the Administration deliver on a manufacturing renaissance?" asked Congresswoman Miller.
"Thank you very much for the question, Congresswoman. And I fully understand your point of view and we are on the same page on that.
Keep in mind, what happened in West Virginia and Ohio and Pennsylvania and in Illinois and Indiana was made in USA. We allowed those imports to come in. Society was complacent in saving pennies and losing dollars and we continue to do that. If you don't pay attention, it will happen again. The Trump Administration is putting a stop on this, but it's the job of, in my opinion, the job of Congress to not allow the deterioration of the process by allowing small things to become big things.
West Virginia was at the heart of our ability to produce energy in this country. We gave it away. When we acquired the Case Steel in 2020, the only plant that produced gray-oriented electrical steel was shut down. So we are ready. We have the technology, we have the plants, we have the people, we have the technology. We need support in order to make sure that end users will not jeopardize what we have," responded Mr. Goncalves.
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