U.S., Mexico to prevent China, other countries from surging steel into U.S. market in violation of 2019 trade agreement, a practice that threatens American steel industry jobs, has contributed to plant closures
PA Senior Senator has long pushed Administration to stop trade cheats from hurting PA steel workers and manufacturers
Earlier this year, Casey successfully pushed Administration to investigate China’s unfair trade practices that harm American shipbuilding, raise tariffs on China to protect critical industries
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) applauded the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) announcement that the U.S. has reached an agreement with Mexico to prevent the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other countries from illegally dumping steel into the U.S. market, which threatens the jobs of steelworkers in Pennsylvania and the Nation. Casey has pushed the Biden Administration to stop the unsustainable increase in Mexican steel imports since last year and introduced the Stop Mexico’s Steel Surge Act, which gave the USTR leverage to stipulate additional requirements for steel products imported from Mexico.
“This announcement is a victory for Pennsylvania workers and our Nation’s steel industry,” said Senator Casey. “I’ve pushed multiple administrations to make Mexico play by the rules so our workers can compete on a level playing field. I’m going to keep fighting like hell against China’s trade cheating.”
In a bipartisan push in December 2023, Casey demanded the Administration set a clear deadline to enforce its 2019 agreement with Mexico and urged the Administration to take aggressive action to counter the increase in Mexican steel imports if the country refuses to comply. Casey previously pushed the Trump Administration to protect the American steel industry from trade cheats.
The Stop Mexico’s Steel Surge Act would reinstate 25 percent Section 232 tariffs on Mexican steel imports for no less than one year and empower the president to impose quotas or tariff rate quotas on specific goods where there have been major surges. The administration may only lift these tariffs once the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative certify that Mexico has adopted policies bringing it into compliance with the 2019 agreement and are confident that Mexico will maintain these policies.
Senator Casey is a staunch supporter of Buy America standards, as well as legislation to develop American manufacturing capacity. In November, he?sent?a letter to President Biden sharing his serious concerns about potential reductions of Section 232 and 301 tariffs previously imposed on China on national security grounds.?That month, he also?voted against a resolution?to effectively remove Buy American standards for electric vehicle (EV) chargers and force the United States to continue relying on China for products critical to the next generation of clean vehicle infrastructure.
He fought to pass the?Build America, Buy America Act?as a part of the?Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which?requires that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in infrastructure projects are produced in the United States. Casey also fought to pass the?Inflation Reduction Act, which included tax credits for individuals and companies?manufacturing or deploying clean energy technologies to help lower costs and secure our energy independence, as well as?his provision?to provide a “domestic content” bonus credit for companies that use American steel, iron, and manufactured goods.
In April 2024, Casey and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) successfully pushed the Biden Administration to investigate unfair trade practices by the CCP that undercut American shipbuilding, threaten our national security, and hurt American workers. Further, Casey called on President Biden to maintain Section 301 tariffs, a call the Administration heeded by raising tariffs on 12 key sectors including steel and aluminum, semiconductors, and batteries.
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