Economy

AISI tells Congress to tighten trade legislation

March 1, 2024

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is urging Congress to strengthen US trade laws.

Specifically, Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of AISI, asked Congress to incorporate the provisions of the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act in any trade legislation that moves forward this year.

“This legislation expressly provides the US Department of Commerce with the authority to use the countervailing duty law to address the growing problem of cross-border subsidies,” Dempsey said in a letter to Congress dated Feb. 27.

“It would also address the current lack of statutory deadlines for Department of Commerce circumvention inquiries, which result in significant delays for industry efforts to obtain relief against dumped and subsidized imports,” he added.

Dempsey said that currently “our trade laws have not kept up with the efforts of China and other nations to circumvent and evade trade enforcement measures.”

He was writing regarding the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee’s potential consideration of trade legislation, the letter said.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.