Sen. Franken Makes the Case: Minnesota Iron and Steel Workers Strengthen Our National Security

Press Release

Sen. Al Franken has made his case to the U.S. Commerce Secretary for why protecting Minnesota iron and steel workers from foreign trade cheats is important in keeping our country secure.

Earlier this spring, Secretary Wilbur Ross launched an investigation into whether foreign steel imports have compromised national security.

In his public comment for the investigation, Sen. Franken said that yes, in fact, when foreign steel dumping depresses domestic production, our security is threatened. And he argues that high-quality U.S. iron and steel isn't just used for buildings and domestic infrastructure-it's also needed for military equipment like tanks, aircraft carriers, submarines, and weaponry.

"Throughout the history of our nation, the iron mines of Minnesota and the steel mills of the Midwest have made major contributions to our national security in times of need," Sen. Franken wrote to Sec. Ross. "Today, the U.S. iron and steel industry remains integral to the national security of our country...it is largely U.S. producers who provide the tens of thousands of tons of steel plates used in our aircraft carriers, the twenty or more tons of steel in Abrams tanks, and the thousands of tons in submarines, vehicles, missile systems, and other military applications."

He concludes, "we should not allow foreign steel imports to hollow out our industrial base and threaten our national security."

Sen. Franken has long fought to combat illegal foreign steel exports to the United States and to ensure that U.S. taxpayer-funded projects use American iron and steel. He recently supported new federal actions to combat trade cheats, and over the past several years, Sen. Franken has repeatedly gone to bat for workers and businesses on the Iron Range.

He successfully pushed the Obama Administration to impose new tariffs on several countries engaged in illegal dumping. In 2015, Sen. Franken helped lead efforts to bring former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to the Iron Range to witness firsthand the challenges faced by steelworkers, their families and communities hit hard by the downturn in the steel industry. And in 2014, former President Obama signed a law that included a provision Sen. Franken helped author that requires water infrastructure projects to use American steel.

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