Metro East Sun

U.S Reps. Mike Bost (R-IL), Rodney Davis (R-IL) and John Shimkus (R-IL) asked Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to meet last week to discuss trade enforcement-related matters dealing with the illegal dumping of foreign steel in U.S. markets.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is currently considering three anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by domestic steel industry companies; and a provision Bost and Davis introduced to protect American workers from the illegal dumping of foreign products in U.S. markets was signed into law earlier this year.

“We must work together on behalf of our steelworkers and their families to ensure this rollercoaster ride doesn’t continue,” Bost said. “Rep. Davis and I were successful in securing enhanced trade remedies to protect against illegal trade practices. I am eager to hear from the Department of Commerce how these provisions will be implemented and help restore certainty and ensure that our efforts to put American workers on an even playing field in the global marketplace are successful.”

The call for a meeting came after U.S. Steel announced that it may temporarily idle operations at its Granite City Works facility in Illinois. 

“Steelworkers in my district cannot wait for the federal government to implement trade provisions that were signed into law months ago," Davis said. “We need the U.S. Department of Commerce to act now. We need them to implement the changes my colleagues and I authored to hold countries that break our trade laws accountable and prevent further job loss within our steel industry.”