Warren, Markey Urge Commerce Department to Expedite Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Investigation
Senators Call on Administration to Swiftly Conclude the Investigation and Publish Its Final Report
Text of the letter available here (PDF)
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey today called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to expedite its consideration of the Section 232 National Security Investigation into imports of steel and aluminum and urged the Department to publish the results as swiftly as possible.
In April, the Department of Commerce opened an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to "determine the effects on national security" of steel and aluminum imports into the United States. The Department has since announced that the results of the investigation would be delayed "until the tax bill" and other top-priority issues are addressed.
"The Section 232 investigation is essential to ensuring a level playing field for an industry that is susceptible to unfairly subsidized foreign imports," the senators wrote in a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. "Linking the outcomes of a national security investigation to unrelated and complex legislative and administrative actions is inappropriate and will likely lead to additional harm as the U.S. steel and aluminum industries further await a decision."
Citing in their letter a sharp increase in steel and aluminum imports since the administration announced it would delay the results of the investigation, the senators urged the administration to protect American workers by promptly concluding its investigation and publishing its final report.
"The workers and businesses injured by these unfair trading practices depend on the Commerce Department's prioritization of the Section 232 investigation," the senators continued. "It is absolutely vital that the Administration now fulfill its promise and act."
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