Kaptur Denounces Steel Dumping from Korea

LORAIN (May 5, 2014) -- Congresswoman Kaptur (OH-09) told a rally that she supports aggressive enforcement of trade laws to protect American jobs in the steel industry.

“Our steel companies and steelworkers deserve a fair chance to compete, but the playing field is certainly not level when competitors are allowed to dump their product on the market at less than cost,” she said.

American producers are increasingly losing sales to foreign competitors due to dumping. Kaptur said full enforcement of trade laws that are already on the books is critical to the domestic industry’s future.

She urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to impose countervailing duties on Korean steel that are similar to those imposed on imports from China. The department previously imposed duties on eight other countries that were the source of dumped steel, but excluded Korea, which has increased exports to the U.S. by fivefold in just the past six years.

A final decision on the Korea case is expected sometime this summer.

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