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AISI Supports Trade Enforcement Priorities Act of 2009
Oct. 29, 2009 The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is very much in favor of the Section 301 bill, known as the Trade Enforcement Priorities Act of 2009, introduced on October 28. The bill works to identify priority trade barriers and to make sure that foreign governments are living up to their trade agreement commitments.
“AISI commends Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Arlen Specter (D-PA) for introducing the Section 301 bill, which serves as a critical step toward leveling the playing field for American manufacturers,” said Thomas J. Gibson, President and CEO of AISI. “Passage of this bill is essential to enhanced U.S. government enforcement efforts to eliminate foreign trade-distorting practices, which are continuing to undermine our domestic manufacturing base.”
The federal government has not done enough to enforce America’s trade laws or international trade agreements, according to Gibson. This legislation would provide the U.S. Trade Representative with the tools necessary to address this issue, he believes, which has contributed to the loss of more than five million manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years and eroded U.S. access to foreign markets.
Gibson says that the Brown-Stabenow legislation will enable greater focus on those practices that most heavily impact U.S. exports and employment, and require the United States Trade Representative—in consultation with other relevant agencies and Congress—to prioritize its enforcement strategy and work with countries that have a pattern of unfair trade practices.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. The Institute comprises 24 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.