Kevin Dempsey, CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), has made a statement applauding the Senate confirmation of the nomination of Gina Raimondo to serve as secretary of commerce, asking the secretary to maintain the Section 232 measures.
“We appreciate her commitment to addressing the issues facing the American steel industry, including vigorously enforcing the US trade remedy laws and remaining aggressive in combating unfair trade practices by China and other trading partners. Strong enforcement of US trade laws is a top priority for American steelmakers, particularly as foreign government subsidies and other market-distorting policies and practices have resulted in significant global steel overcapacity. A critical part of the response to the global steel overcapacity crisis must be the full enforcement of the Section 232 remedies on steel products, including action to ensure that the Section 232 exclusions process does not inadvertently allow exclusion of products that are made by domestic steel producers,” Mr. Dempsey said.