Congressman Mrvan testifies for tariffs protecting steelworkers in Burns Harbor

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, testified before the International Trade Commission on behalf of steelworkers in Northwest Indiana and beyond.

He urged the judicial body last week to maintain anti-dumping and countervailing duties of cut-to-length steel plate products from several countries. It's the ninth time he testified before the International Trade Commission on behalf of the steel industry.

This is the ninth time during the 117th Congress that Mrvan has provided testimony in support of the domestic steel and manufacturing industry during ITC proceedings.

"I am proud to represent the First Congressional District of Indiana, one of the largest steel-producing Congressional Districts in our nation," he said. "Specific to today’s case, I want to highlight how cut-to-length steel plate is produced in Northwest Indiana at the Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor facility, which employs thousands of dedicated members of the United Steelworkers." 

The tariffs apply to cut-to-length steel plate products from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey. They're meant to prevent dumping, or unloading steel they can't sell domestically in the United States at a deliberate loss with an eye toward gaining long-term market share.

"These products are essential to the success of our national economy, our energy independence, and also our national security, as these products are used in military applications such as submarines, aircraft carriers, and armored vehicles," Mrvan said. "When foreign actors cheat, the livelihoods of our steelworkers and their families are jeopardized. We must do everything possible to fully enforce our trade laws and show countries that cheat and provide illegal subsidies to their industries that their unfair trade practices will not be tolerated."

The ITC concluded that imports from those countries was causing injury to domestic steelmakers and putting steelworker jobs at risk. But the cases get reevaluated to determine how long the tariffs should be enforced.

Mrvan pointed to the excess global overcapacity that has dogged the steel industry for years.

"The orders under discussion today have proven to be effective in ensuring that our steelworkers can compete on a level playing field. As you are well aware, there remains a significant amount of unused capacity for this product in the global market, and we must ensure that the revocation of these orders does not lead to job losses in Northwest Indiana and our nation," he said. "I urge a continuation of these orders because I know that when allowed to compete fairly, our domestic workforce can thrive and produce the best steel products in the world."