Visclosky Takes a Stand for American Steel at ITC Hearing

Congressman Visclosky submitted the following testimony to the United States International Trade Commission on Wednesday, October 17:

I would like to thank Chairman Williamson and all of the members of the Commission for holding the hearing today on anti-dumping and countervailing duties on circular welded pipe from India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to present testimony before you today, as you conduct your serious work to strengthen our manufacturing base and enforce our trade laws.

As you are well aware, in this case, the imports of circular welded pipe from India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam increased from 106,172 tons in 2009 to 206,026 tons in 2011. In the course of the investigation into this increase, the Department of Commerce has found this past year in its preliminary determinations that Indian producers have received countervailable subsidies of 298.95 percent, and Vietnamese producers have received subsidies ranging from 0.04 percent to 8.06 percent. The Department of Commerce also found in its preliminary decisions on anti-dumping allegations that there have been dumping margins of up to 48.43 percent for India, 27.96 percent for Vietnam, 5.59 percent for Oman, and 11.71 percent for the United Arab Emirates. I urge you to adhere to these recommendations from the Department of Commerce, and send the signal to these countries and to countries across the globe that we have zero tolerance for even the slightest trace of illegal subsidies.

The sudden surge of imports is devastating to our American steelworkers, who are still fighting to get on solid ground in this fragile economy. We must do everything possible to ensure that they are able to compete on a level playing field. 

As the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, I am working with Chairman Murphy and all other members of the Caucus who are concerned about the strength of the American steel industry. To that end, I want to bring your attention to a letter that Chairman Murphy and I have circulated to the entire Caucus that expresses our profound concern regarding this case. The letter specifically states, “These unfairly traded imports have led to the significant loss of market share and employment for the domestic industry despite a gradual recovery in demand. In these uncertain economic times it is even more important that relief is provided to an industry and workforce that have been injured by unfair trade practices.” Chairman Murphy and I are currently collecting the signatures for this letter, and I ask that upon its submission that it is placed in the official hearing record.

Members of the Commission, while our recovering economy is making strides, with our national unemployment rate decreasing to 7.8 percent in September, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure the strength of our manufacturing base. As you may know, while there have been consistent positive increases in job creation as a whole, this past month there was a decrease of 16,000 workers in the manufacturing sector, the second month in a row that the manufacturing sector has declined since January 2010. Now is not the time to relax. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and our commitment to American workers.

As always, I thank you for your efforts and for your fair and deliberate consideration of this case, and I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony before you today.