[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10803-H10804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PRESIDENT SHOULD USE POWERS AT HIS DISPOSAL TO HELP U.S. STEEL INDUSTRY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, the steel industry and the steelworkers and 
their families are feeling the unfair impact of cheap steel being 
imported in the United States market in very large quantities. This 
hardship threatens to grow much worse in the months ahead as other 
markets dry up and the United States becomes the target of dumping in 
order to gain hard currency.
  Mr. Speaker, I tell the President that Congress has provided him with 
the tools to help steelworkers. There are already a number of remedies 
under the United States trade laws that the President should use, if 
appropriate, to deal with the significant increase of steel imports.
  Number one, the most significant and far-reaching power is under the 
International Economic Emergency Powers Act. Under this act, the 
President may block imports to deal with any unusual and extraordinary 
threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the 
United States if he declares a national emergency.
  Two, under the anti-dumping laws, the President may impose anti-
dumping duties that equal the amount of dumping if injury to the United 
States industry is shown.
  (A) These duties may be imposed retroactively if the administration 
finds critical circumstances deemed to exist when there have been 
massive imports over a relatively short period and there is a history 
or knowledge of dumping and injury.
  (B) The President may accelerate the statutory deadlines for 
determining whether dumping exists so that duties may be imposed 
sooner.
  Three, under the countervailing duty law, the President may impose 
countervailing duties that equal the amount of any subsidy provided by 
the foreign government, if injury to the United States industry is 
shown. As with dumping, these duties may be imposed retroactively and 
accelerated.
  Four, under Section 201, the President may take action, including 
imposing duties, a tariff rate quota, or quantitative restrictions to 
respond to a surge of imports that is substantially causing serious 
injury to the United States industry, and I might add parenthetically 
that that is exactly what the European Union has done.
  Five, under Section 301, the President must take unilateral action if 
he determines a country is taking action in violation of a trade 
agreement or is unjustifiable or burdens or restricts U.S. commerce.
  Mr. Speaker, the President clearly has the authority to do something 
to help our steel companies and workers. He should use this authority 
today. I urge the President, do not ignore this growing erosion of 
steel jobs in America and the disastrous consequences for the families 
of the steelworkers. Stand up for the steelworkers and their families
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Regula) for bringing this to the attention once again of the 
floor. We tried on two different occasions to do something important in 
this Congress, near the end of this Congress, to bring to the attention 
of the administration the need to take some very strong affirmative 
steps in stopping this dumping of steel on our market.

[[Page H10804]]

  It is eroding our steel industry. It is hurting our steelworkers. And 
I am hoping that the Members will heed the message that the gentleman 
from Ohio is bringing before us and we hope the administration will 
wake up to this call before it is too late.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding to me.
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman 
for his comments. He is absolutely right. The tools are there. We need 
the will to use them. And, obviously, it is not just steel jobs, but 
there is an enormous ripple effect, because the steel families will 
purchase goods in the communities they live in, they support the 
schools, the United Way, it has an enormous impact.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller).
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Ohio 
for his leadership on this issue. This is an issue that impacts not 
just the State of Ohio but the south side of Chicago and the south 
suburbs of northwestern Indiana which historically has always been a 
major steel producing area.
  It is unfortunate that because of the inaction of the Clinton 
administration, Acme Steel has declared bankruptcy. Birmingham in my 
district is shortening their work hours. Belson Scrap and Steel has 
reduced their payroll by 10 percent. All because we have seen a 
doubling of Japanese steel imports in the United States, and just in 
the last year almost a doubling of Korean steel imports in this 
country.
  Steelworkers are losing their jobs. And while steelworkers lose their 
jobs, the Clinton administration is doing nothing. I believe it is time 
for action. I think it is time that this Congress make it very clear 
that we expect the President and the Clinton administration to take 
leadership to help steelworkers. Otherwise we are going to see more 
steelworkers lose their jobs because of inaction by the Clinton 
administration.

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