Today, the Steel Manufacturers Association sent the following letter to the winner of the presidency:

Dear President-elect Trump:

On behalf of the Steel Manufacturers Association and our members, we extend our congratulations to you on your election victory. The Steel Manufacturers Association represents 70% of the steel made in the United States today and nearly 100% of the domestic steel products that are used to build our nation’s infrastructure. We appreciate your strong support of the domestic steel industry in your first term and look forward to working with your Administration again to accomplish great things for our country.

Today’s American steel industry is the backbone of our economy, building the roads and bridges that make up our infrastructure. A healthy steel industry is also vital to our national security, supplying the steel used in our tanks, battleships, and aircraft carriers as well as the infrastructure that houses our armed services.

As you know, the American steel industry faces serious threats from foreign countries that routinely violate trade laws. China and other countries continue to illegally dump cheap, high-emissions, heavily subsidized steel in the United States. Your focus on protecting American jobs and defending our steelmakers will help us defeat that threat and strengthen domestic manufacturing and our economy.

Congratulations again on your victory. In your first term, you reset and improved America’s approach to trade, and we look forward to working closely with your Administration to ensure that America’s steel industry continues to create high-paying manufacturing jobs that American families and communities can depend on for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Philip K. Bell

President

Steel Manufacturers Association