WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will meet with President Trump Tuesday at the White House to discuss steel and trade policy. U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) will also attend. The Senators have worked together to push for quick action to address Chinese steel overcapacity, which is threatening Ohio jobs, by completing a Commerce Department investigation known as a “232.”
Earlier this month, Brown hosted a series of roundtables with workers and industries across Ohio, and their ideas and concerns will inform his conversation at the White House tomorrow. In addition to urging action to protect Ohio steel jobs, Brown will also urge the President to continue renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Ohio priorities in mind. Brown has given the President a four point plan for NAFTA renegotiation and continues to work closely with the Administration’s top trade official, U.S. Trade Rep. Lighthizer.
Brown will also thank the President for answering his and Portman’s calls to take action against illegal competition for foreign washing machine manufacturers earlier this year. Because the Administration answered the Senators’ calls, the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio, announced it would be able to create 200 new jobs.
“We have made important progress toward a new trade agenda that puts Ohio workers first, from pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to standing up for Whirlpool workers in Clyde. But there is more work to do, including swift action to crack down on Chinese steel overcapacity that is costing American jobs,” Brown said. “We finally have a U.S. Trade Rep who is willing to take the pen away from corporate lobbyists and write a trade policy that puts American workers first, and I look forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Lighthizer and the President to deliver a renegotiated NAFTA that works for Ohio.”
Immediately after President Trump’s election, Brown reached out to his transition team to offer his help in retooling U.S. trade policy. Brown wrote to Trump in November 2016 offering specific steps to work together on trade and Trump responded with a handwritten note. Since then, Brown has been engaging the President and top trade officials, including U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to fight for Ohio priorities.
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