Brown, Braun Push for Crackdown on Unfair Trade in Aluminum Extrusions

WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Mike Braun (R-IN) joined bipartisan colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to investigate and take action to counter unfair trade practices in the aluminum extrusions industry that undermine American workers. Brown and Braun are supporting antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petitions filed by the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition to the Department of Commerce, seeking relief for manufacturers and workers who can't compete with merchandise that's subsidized or unfairly dumped from 14 countries, including China. In just two years, from 2019 to 2020, foreign imports from these countries increased by more than 40 percent.

The coalition petitioning for relief includes Extrudex in North Jackson, Ohio, and Pennex Aluminum in Leetonia, Ohio. The United Steelworkers participated in the petition, and represent three aluminum extrusion facilities in Ohio: American Aluminum Extrusions of Ohio in Canton, General Extrusions, Inc. in Youngstown, and Aerolite LLC in Boardman.

Brown and Braun were joined by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

"The Coalition employs thousands of workers - many represented by USW - across

twenty states in the aluminum extrusion industry, many of whom are already seeing the harm caused in reduced shifts, workforce downsizing, and idling extrusion presses. We must ensure that American workers do not continue to suffer from unfairly traded imports, and that countries like China and Vietnam do not maintain an unfair advantage when producing these critical products," wrote the senators.

"Using the trade enforcement mechanisms at our disposal to level the playing field for domestic producers will help counter unfairly traded aluminum extrusions, promote U.S. production, support good-paying jobs, and strengthen our national security. We ask that the Commerce Department carefully interpret the scope of these investigations to be consistent with the intent of the petitioners to evaluate action on the broad variety of aluminum extrusion products currently in jeopardy," the senators continued.

Brown has been a leader in fighting to ensure companies and workers get sufficient relief from unfair trade practices of foreign competitors. Brown and Braun have repeatedlyraised concerns about the Biden Administration's approach to countering unfair trade in the aluminum extrusions industry, pushing the Department of Commerce to reform its Section 232 exclusion process to strengthen trade enforcement in the industry.

The full letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Secretary Raimondo:

We write to express our support for the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petitions filed by the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition (Coalition), a group of fourteen domestic aluminum extrusion manufacturers and United Steelworkers Union (USW). Domestic manufacturers and the workers who support the upstream and downstream aluminum supply chains here in the U.S. can't compete with merchandise that's subsidized and unfairly dumped, and we urge you to carefully review the Coalition's submissions and act to ensure U.S.-based producers can compete on a fair and level playing field.

Aluminum extrusions such as metal tubing and frames touch nearly every facet of daily life. These products are found in our homes, cars, and appliances and are found in defense systems including ground vehicles, submarines, naval vessels, airframes, and communications. They are essential to a wide range of industries, from architecture to computing and defense, significant to our nation's infrastructure and transportation systems, and critical to our national security. This essential industry is vital to our economic and national security.

To gain an advantage over the robust domestic industry, foreign countries are exporting a high volume of aluminum extrusions at unfair prices, putting American workers at a disadvantage. The investigations cover imports of aluminum extrusions from China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. From 2019 to 2022, foreign imports from these countries increased by more than forty percent, causing American producers' share of the market to fall by eleven percent. The Coalition employs thousands of workers - many represented by USW - across twenty states in the aluminum extrusion industry, many of whom are already seeing the harm caused in reduced shifts, workforce downsizing, and idling extrusion presses. We must ensure that American workers do not continue to suffer from unfairly traded imports, and that countries like China and Vietnam do not maintain an unfair advantage when producing these critical products.

Despite significant investment, robust demand, and a talented workforce, American workers cannot compete when they are at a disadvantage. Using the trade enforcement mechanisms at our disposal to level the playing field for domestic producers will help counter unfairly traded aluminum extrusions, promote U.S. production, support good-paying jobs, and strengthen our national security. We ask that the Commerce Department carefully interpret the scope of these investigations to be consistent with the intent of the petitioners to evaluate action on the broad variety of aluminum extrusion products currently in jeopardy.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

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