Burns authors resolution to urge Congress to oppose sale of U.S. Steel
Rep. Frank Burns December 27, 2023 | 1:15 PM
HARRISBURG, Dec. 27 – Continuing his fight to prevent the sale of U.S. Steel to a foreign entity, state Rep. Frank Burns has authored an official resolution to urge Congress to oppose the sale.
“Steel is one of America’s iconic industries,” Burns said. “From good-paying jobs to national security, steel production is part of the backbone of our economy and the fabric of American life. The U.S. cannot afford to be dependent on another country for its access to steel.”
U.S. Steel Corp., headquartered in Pittsburgh, was founded in 1901 by the merging of two steel companies. It has produced steel that has been used in thousands of products, from skyscrapers and bridges to automobiles and appliances. Earlier this month, Nippon Steel of Japan announced that it had secured an agreement to purchase U.S. Steel, but the deal is subject to regulatory review, hence Burns’ formal resolution.
As chairman of the House Steel Caucus, Burns said the sale not only would risk union jobs, it would also put the country at the mercy of foreign whims and curtail its ability to manufacture steel when it’s needed.
“Domestic steel production is as vital to our national security as it is to the thousands of union workers who staff our steel plants every day and who strongly oppose this takeover. This sale would deliver a major blow to the American steel industry, which has been instrumental in building the United States into the superpower it is today,” Burns said.
“At a time when domestic manufacturing – including in the American steel market – is facing increased competition from unfair trade, we must do everything we can to prevent further deterioration of American ownership,” he said.