Download Production Quality Footage of Sen. Brown’s Exchange HERE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In Case You Missed It: Today, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) pressed U.S. Department of Commerce nominees on the need to better enforce our trade remedy laws. Earlier this year, Brown and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced their bipartisan Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 legislation to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and ensure they remain effective tools to fight back against unfair trade practices and protect American workers. Brown pushed the administration to bolster its rules, using his legislation as a guide.
“I’m hearing from businesses across Ohio encountering issues with dumping of Chinese-sourced product into the U.S. market. We know that China has historically used every tool at their disposal to get around our trade laws. They’ve done this for steel and iron, they make it so that small businesses can’t compete, they’re doing it now in the solar sector, and they’re about to do it for materials that are sensitive for our national security. Without proper enforcement of our trade laws, we put American industries and jobs at risk,” said Brown at the Senate Finance hearing.
During his questioning, Brown pressed Ms. Lisa W. Wang, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance, about the need for proper enforcement of our trade laws to protect American industries and jobs. Without that enforcement, countries like China will continue to use every tool at their disposal to get around our trade laws.
Brown: Do you believe a union company in Lima, Ohio should have to lay off hundreds of workers before our government can respond to the dumping activity harming our manufacturing industry?
Ms. Wang: Senator Brown, thank you for the question, I want to assure you that the voices of union members and American workers are in the AD/CVD process.
Brown: Do you believe that a union company in Lima should have to lay off hundreds of workers before government can respond to the dumping activity?
Ms. Wang: Senator I do not believe that there should be layoffs of American workers due to unfair trade practices of countries like China.
Brown: Do you believe that a company in Youngstown that’s already demonstrated financial harm from illegal dumping should have to wait 14 months for duties to be applied against the product harming their companies?
Ms. Wang: Senator Brown there are statutory deadlines and requirements that are necessary of enforcement incompliance, but if confirmed I certainly will work to find efficiencies in that process.
Brown: Do you believe that a small business in my hometown of Mansfield should have to spend $3 million minimum to bring one of these issues before the ITC or the Department of Commerce?
Ms. Wang: Senator I believe strongly that we should find ways to reach out to American workers small, medium sized enterprises – so that they can obtain the effective relief under the AD/CVD laws.
Brown: In a case where duties are finally applied but that same product starts appearing from a completely different country, understanding what’s probably happening, do you believe a company in Defiance, Ohio should have to restart the entire process with a brand-new petition?
Ms. Wang: Senator Brown there are remedies under the anti-circumvention laws that do not require industries to file a new AD/VCD petition. If confirmed, I would like to work on those issues with you.
Brown: Last question, do you believe a company in Springfield, Ohio developing sensitive national security products, that already discloses itself to the Department of Commerce, should have to disclose itself to the public and face retaliation from China during the petition process?
Ms. Wang: Senator I believe that these are highly fact specific questions, particularly those involving business’ private information, and if confirmed I would want to learn more about that particular fact specific proceeding.
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