In order to save American jobs, a group of Republican and Democrat senators are asking President Joe Biden to raise tariffs on imported aluminum along with the United Steelworkers ( USW).
The lawmakers warn that aluminum extrusion flowers in the U.S. are at risk of being destroyed as a result of imported metal inserts in a text to Biden’s Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The senators write that “domestic manufacturers and the workers who support the upstream and downstream aluminum supply chains here in the U.S. ca n’t compete with merchandise that is subventioned and unfairly dumped.”
In particular, the lawmakers say foreign nations — such as China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam — are “exporting a large amount of aluminum extrusions at cruel prices, putting American workers at a risk”.
The senators note that American manufacturers ‘ share of the aluminum extrusion market has decreased by 11 percent while these imports from these nations increased by more than 40 % between 2019 and 2020.
The outcomes have been devastating for American areas where copper filament plants have lost positions and jobs or shut down completely.
The legislators write, calling on the Biden presidency to thoroughly investigate the situation and raise taxes, and demanding that American workers stop continuing to suffer from badly traded goods.
Despite considerable investment, strong demand, and a skilled workforce, American workers don’t engage when they are at a disadvantage. Utilizing the industry enforcement tools at our disposal to level the playing field for private producers will help stop badly traded aluminum extrusions, encourage U.S. production, support high-paying positions, and advance our national security. We request that the Commerce Department properly interpret the range of these investigations in light of the petitioners ‘ desire to examine action taken against a wide range of aluminum extrusion products that are already at risk. ]Emphasis added]
Sens.  , Sherrod Brown ( D- OH), Mike Braun ( R- IN),  , Bob Casey ( D- PA ), John Fetterman ( D- PA ), Amy Klobuchar ( D- MN), Jeff Merkley ( D- OR ), Gary Peters ( D- MI ), Marco Rubio ( R- FL ), Bernie Sanders ( I- VT), Tina Smith ( D- MN), Debbie Stabenow ( D- MI ), J. D. Vance ( R- OH), and Elizabeth Warren ( D- MA ) signed the letter.
The country’s metal industry has experienced significant decline in recent years.
In August 2022, the , next largest copper mill in the U. S. partially idled operations, laying off about 600 British workers, because of sky- higher energy prices.
Similarly,  , Magnitude 7 Metals ( Mag7 ) in New Madrid County, Missouri,  , shut down in January, laying off some 500 American workers. After closing in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, the copper grow, one of the few remaining in the country, had been spared from closure.
By referring to the Defense Production Act of 1950, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO ) demanded that Biden intervene and save the aluminum plant from closure. The leadership has not yet taken any action on the matter.
In 2023, an aluminum plant in Whatcom County, Washington,  , closed , along with an aluminum plant in Hancock County, Kentucky,  , which saw , roughly 1, 000 American personnel laid off.
For Breitbart News, John Binder is a columnist. Email him at [email protected]. Following him on Twitter , around.  ,
