STEEL 201 REMEDY -- HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES (Extensions of Remarks - February 15, 2002)

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HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES OF OHIO IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, February 14, 2002

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today is Valentine's Day. But for thousands of American steelworkers whose jobs have been lost, this is a day filled with bitterness. I stand here today in protest of the low-priced steel imports that have ravaged the American Steel industry and the 3,800 LTV steelworkers in my district whose lives have been devastated as a result of these imports.

Today I urge the administration to take decisive action against the cheap imports that are destroying the U.S. steel industry. This is an industry that has been a cornerstone of our economy and national security over the last 100 years.

The administration, as part of its steel plan, has taken the important step of initiating a section 201 investigation to examine the devastating impact that steel imports have had on the American steel industry. The International Trade Commission found, unanimously, that American steel companies and thousands of American workers and their communities have been seriously injured by these imports. I say, and know firsthand, that they have been devastating. The ball is now in the President's hands. He must decide what measures his administration will take to correct the wrong that has been caused by low-priced imports. I urge the administration, in the strongest possible terms, to impose strong and effective tariff-based relief. The President must impose a tariff of at least 40 percent against all foreign low-priced steel imports.

I urge the President to impose this tariff for at least 4 years, as the law allows. Most importantly, I urge the President not to waiver from his commitment to the American steel industry and its workers because strong tariff-based relief is the only remedy that can realistically assist the industry.

It is no secret that low-priced imports are due to excessive global steel production. The Department of Commerce has released a study showing that global steel overcapacity results from subsidization and anticompetitive practices around the world. We must not allow steel imports that originate from such distorted markets to destroy a vital component of our economy. We must not allow those foreign producers to destroy thousands of good American jobs and the financial security that those jobs represent. Families depend on these jobs. Cities and communities depend on these jobs. Workers in my district depend on these jobs.

Thousands of American steelworkers are anxiously awaiting a trade remedy decision in the current 201 investigation. Their future depends on strong and effective trade relief and an administration that will be unrelenting in reducing global excess steel capacity. I urge the President to impose a strong tariff-based remedy against all foreign steel imports over the next 4 years.
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