Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. press release, October 18, 2000

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2000 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 CONTACT: Jill Homan 202/225-3061 Congressman Ehrlich Calls on Administration to End Steel Crisis WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich (MD-2) and a bipartisan group of House Members today introduced a resolution urging President Clinton to take immediate action to curb foreign steel imports and initiate an import relief investigation. The resolution awaits action by the House of Representatives. “This is a matter of fairness,” Congressman Ehrlich, a co-sponsor of the resolution, stated. “America’s steelworkers have worked hard to stay competitive while producing the strongest, cleanest, and most cost-effective steel in the world. The men and women of Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point Plant deserve to compete on a level playing field. “Unfortunately, some foreign nations continue to engage in unfair and illegal trade practices by subsidizing their steel industries so they can sell their product at below market prices. Our government has the responsibility to aggressively and effectively defend America’s steel industry and end these illegal acts.” The resolution calls on President Clinton to use his power to assist U.S. steel industries damaged by below market steel import sales. It also requests the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), which Congressman Ehrlich recently testified before, to investigate the issue. If the ITC finds unfair trade activity, the President may, for example, impose tariff increases or restrict import levels. During the past two years, a flood of steel imports has forced five companies into bankruptcy, caused 10,000 steelworkers to be laid-off, and substantially weakened the industry. This past summer, the U.S. Commerce Department released an unpredicted report that documented the unfair trading practices of foreign steel-producing countries. The report found that repeated anti¬ competitive actions have distorted the global steel market for the past 30 years, costing hundreds of thousands of American steel jobs and threatening the survival of today’s U.S. steel industry. Background: The ITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency. Established Continued