WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the bipartisan Fighting Trade Cheats Act, which would strengthen U.S. trade law enforcement and give American manufacturers the opportunity to take action against bad actors that engage in customs fraud. The bill takes aim at companies that dump foreign-made goods into the United States.

“Ohioans know all too well how foreign competitors cheat the rules to steal American jobs,” said Brown. “This is an ongoing battle – one I’m going to continue to fight for Ohio workers and Ohio companies. Our bipartisan plan will update and strengthen trade remedy laws and allow American manufacturers to use their own resources to fight back against bad actors.”

“The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of violating trade agreements with the United States, costing North Carolina businesses and workers,” said Senator Tillis. “I’m proud to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation to hold the CCP and other bad actors accountable and empower private American companies to take action and fight back against trade cheats.”

Brown has long fought to give Ohio companies stronger tools against foreign companies and countries that evade our trade laws, hurting Ohio manufacturers and putting Ohioans out of work. His Leveling the Playing Field Act led to key wins for Ohio companies. This new, bipartisan legislation would allow private companies to sue foreign producers that harm American companies. By allowing private companies harmed by trade cheats to use their own resources to fight back, the bill would help address customs fraud and protect American workers and American jobs.

American businesses, including McWane Incorporated, a company with a large Ohio facility that manufactures pipes, valves, fire hydrants and fittings used in the nation’s infrastructure, and Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, a family-owned North Carolina company that manufactures cast iron, PVC, CPVC, and ABS pipe and fittings, support the bipartisan legislation.

“Trade cheaters cost American jobs, plain and simple. This bill will give Customs and Border Protection and businesses the tools they need to stop lawless foreign importers from evading U.S. laws and destroying American industries and communities,” said James Proctor II, Senior Vice President & General Counsel for McWane. “We thank Senators Brown and Tillis for standing up for American workers and businesses and helping put a stop to such illegal activity.”

“This anti-circumvention trade legislation is critical to holding Chinese and other bad actors accountable when it comes to enforcing lawful dumping and subsidy duties,” said Roddey Dowd, Jr., vice chairman of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company. “For too long importers have evaded rightful measures to level the playing field for American manufacturers. We applaud Senator Tillis and Senator Brown for working across the aisle to generate bipartisan support for a measure that will help stop those who would cheat American workers and consumers. U.S. manufacturing needs Congress to provide it the tools to defend itself from foreign trade cheaters, which this bill clearly does.”

The United Steelworkers also endorse this legislation.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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