[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17089-17090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             AMERICAN STEEL

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I wish to take a few minutes to speak 
about another sad situation in the State of Maryland. Today we got the 
terrible, sad news that it looks as though Bethlehem Steel, our 
biggest, largest, most famous steelyard, is going to close, and it is 
going to close forever.
  Throughout the entire 19th and 20th centuries and through to today, 
Bethlehem Steel hired people, making it one of our largest employers, 
to build steel for our great iconic projects and to help build America. 
In its heyday in 1957, 30,000 steelworkers were there. They thought 
they had lifelong jobs in helping build steel. It was the largest 
single employer in Baltimore for decades. It made steel for everything 
from Campbell Soup cans to National beer cans. It built steel for 
refrigerators, toasters, and thousands of other products. During the 
war, Bethlehem Steel was part of the arsenal of democracy in which it 
built Liberty ships.
  I am very close to the people at Bethlehem Steel. Members of my own 
family worked in this steel mill and they worked very hard. People who 
came into my father's grocery store worked at Bethlehem Steel. They 
thought they had a job that would last forever because America would 
need steel. It doesn't look that way, because even though those workers 
thought America would always want American steel, we looked the other 
way when foreign imports began to drive down our prices and drive down 
our steel mills.
  We have to begin to rethink what we are doing in this area. America's 
steel and steelworkers protected the United States and our freedom.
  At Sparrows Point they rolled gun barrels, made steel for grenades, 
shells and landing craft for airplanes and ships. We have to remember 
whose steel it was that truly built America. But do my colleagues know 
who the last owner was; not the most recent but the ones before that? 
The Russians. I am not against Russia, but I am against Russia owning 
America's tools of production.
  What will happen to America if we need more steel to go to war? What 
about needing steel when we build our infrastructure? When American 
steelworkers built the great new Golden Gate Bridge with American 
taxpayers' dollars, the steel came from China. What are we doing to 
America and what are we doing to our manufacturing?
  I think we need a wakeup call. We are busy holding up the entire 
Congress protecting tax breaks for billionaires. When are we going to 
start looking out for American jobs? When we are talking about this 
fiscal cliff, we are not talking about having the jobs component in it. 
When are we going to start talking about tax breaks so we can have an 
infrastructure bank, so we can rebuild America using American products? 
Why is it when we say we want it made in America, some call us 
protectionists? I welcome the label of ``protectionist.'' I am going to 
protect American jobs. I don't want them on a slow boat to China or a 
fast track to Mexico.
  I might not ever get my steel mill back and Baltimore might not ever 
have those jobs back, but we have to get serious in our country. What 
are our priorities? We have to start rewarding those industries that 
make products in this country. Right now, our whole code is oriented to 
protecting people who make money off money. Let me tell my colleagues, 
we are already getting a big wakeup call in America.
  I have fought for more than 25 years to reverse this tide against 
American

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manufacturing and for American steel and I am going to keep on 
fighting. But right now, as we go on debating this fiscal cliff, we 
have to make sure we protect the safety net. If my colleagues went with 
me to Dundalk and to Sparrows Point, people would tell us they want 
their job, and if they can't have their job, could they please have a 
safety net that protects them in terms of unemployment insurance and 
health care benefits so they have a bridge to get their family over 
this very hard time. I worry that during this fiscal cliff debate we 
are going to lose those benefits, but I will tell my colleagues that I 
will fight to not go over the fiscal cliff.
  In the meantime, I say to the men and women at Bethlehem Steel: Thank 
you for what you did. You built America. You helped save America. You 
helped save Western civilization. We are going to try right now to save 
your safety net benefits. Go to that hall where you can apply for those 
benefits. They are still there. We still want to make sure you are 
eligible, but we want not only a safety net to get you over the hard 
times, we believe the best safety net is jobs in American 
manufacturing.
  I am going to yield the floor, but I will not yield the fight for 
American jobs.
  I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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