Mrvan Statement at Congressional Steel Caucus Hearing on the State of the Steel Industry

Washington, DC- Below, please find the opening statement as prepared for delivery from Congressman Frank J. Mrvan, Vice Chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, during today's hearing on the State of the Steel Industry.

A video of the hearing is available here, and below are the statements from the witnesses, including representatives from the United Steelworkers, Cleveland Cliffs, and U.S. Steel.

Opening statement from Congressman Mrvan:

Good morning and thank you all for being here today. I would first like to thank my colleague, Chairman Crawford, for his leadership on this Caucus and for his collaboration on all of our initiatives in the 119th Congress. Through challenging political times, this Caucus has remained committed to its bipartisan roots and to working across the aisle in advocating for the American steel industry and its workforce. I am grateful for the Chairman's friendship and dedication, and I look forward to continuing our work together well into the future.

Thank you also to the witnesses who have travelled from across the country to share their perspectives on the evolving challenges, opportunities, and goals of the domestic steel industry. Steel remains a critical component of our economy and is essential to automotive manufacturing, construction, energy, transportation, and national security. This industry is also the lifeblood of communities across the country, including in Indiana where the steel industry directly employs about 28,000 workers and is responsible for more than a quarter of the nation's total steel production. All of the industry stakeholders testifying today maintain a large presence in my state with facilities in East Chicago, Gary, Hobart, Burns Harbor, Crawfordsville, Fort Wayne, and beyond. I thank you all for helping to create work and wealth for families in the state of Indiana and across our nation.

As our witnesses will soon discuss, the American steel industry faces threats on several fronts. Global steel overcapacity continues to grow as countries such as China flood domestic markets with heavily subsidized - and often, unethically produced - steel products. Over the last several years, members of this Caucus have worked hand in hand with the Administration to provide protections to American steel producers against unfair trade practices.

In particular, the Section 232 steel tariffs have been a powerful tool in deterring bad trade practices and revitalizing American steel production. In part because of the persistence of this bipartisan Caucus, there has been significant progress over the last couple years to strengthen these measures. This Caucus will continue to work closely with the Trump Administration to hone its strategy on 232 tariffs to ensure that the policies enacted serve to benefit American steelmakers, workers, and manufacturers.

We are also working hard to ensure that the Executive Branch has the necessary resources to enforce these trade policies. Just last week, the House approved funding for the International Trade Commission and International Trade Administration which are responsible for carrying out trade remedy laws. This funding is expected to be signed into law next week and will help ensure that American industry and workers can compete on a level playing field. Many of my colleagues present today are also championing legislation that strengthens the domestic steel industry through enhancing trade enforcement, rebuilding our domestic shipbuilding capacity, and improving Buy America requirements.

As the USMCA is renegotiated this year, the Steel Caucus will also be engaged in closing the loopholes that exist in the current agreement that allow for transshipment of Chinese steel products that directly harm American businesses.

As we listen to testimony from our witnesses today, I look forward to hearing more about the challenges facing American steelmakers and what this Caucus and Congress can do in order to help meet those challenges.

At the heart of this industry is a dedicated workforce and communities that rely on these jobs. As the grandson of a steelworker who spent 53 years in the steel mills in East Chicago, I know the importance of advocating for good-paying jobs for working families. I will continue to be a strong advocate for these workers and will do everything in my power to secure the continued health and strength of the domestic steel industry.

Again, I'd like to thank all of our witnesses for appearing before our Caucus and look forward to today's hearing. I yield back.

Witness list and testimony:

• David B. Burritt - President and CEO, United States Steel Corporation, click here.
• Ben Pickett - Executive Vice President of Business Services, Nucor Corporation, click here.
• Lourenco Goncalves - Chairman, President & CEO Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Chairman, AISI, click here.
• Michael Millsap - District 7 Director, United Steel Workers, click here.
• Barry Schneider - President and COO, Steel Dynamics Inc., click here.
• Steve Robins - Vice President, Atkore Inc., Chairman, CPTI, click here.

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