WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the below statement
after the news that the Commerce Department is investigating whether Vladimir
Putin’s war in Ukraine has disqualified Russia from being treated as a market
economy.
“I’m glad the Commerce
Department is looking into this important measure that would put additional
pressure on Putin and his oligarch cronies. The Russian
government owns as much of 70 percent of its economy – that’s not a market
economy. The Putin oligarchy shouldn’t get the privileges that come with that
designation. Removing Russia’s market-economy status will increase
duties on Russian goods and prevent Russia from engaging in unfair trade
practices with our allies.”
Last week, Brown joined U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and a
bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a
letter urging
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to reconsider Russia’s status as a market
economy within the meaning of the anti-dumping (AD) law of the Tariff Act of
1930. Although the Commerce Department classified Russia as a market economy in
2002, Russia has backslid in recent years towards less and less of a free
market economy. Now after its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has taken further
steps to centralize control over the Russian economy. Classifying Russia as a
non-market economy would likely increase the anti-dumping duties on Russia in
future AD cases.
You can read the full letter
here.
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