SMA Executive Vice President Brandon Farris today issued the following statement:

“The Steel Manufacturers Association strongly applauds the U.S. Trade Representative for launching long-overdue Section 301 investigations into structural excess capacity and overproduction in global manufacturing. For years, global excess capacity has been one of the leading drivers of manufacturing job losses in the United States. Countries such as China simply do not play by the same rules. They target strategic industries, heavily subsidize production, and flood global markets with artificially cheap products designed to undermine and displace domestic manufacturing.

“Steel is foundational to every nation’s economic strength and national security. That is precisely why China and other countries continue to expand steel overcapacity. By exporting their excess production, these countries weaken industrial capacity and economic resilience around the world. According to the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, China-led global excess capacity exceeded 700 million tons annually last year, more than eight times the total U.S. steel production.

“This situation demands decisive action, and the USTR is right to move swiftly.

“The Steel Manufacturers Association looks forward to working closely with the USTR throughout this investigation to confront the excess capacity that has undermined American manufacturing and cost U.S. workers their jobs for far too long.”