U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) recently praised the Trump administration’s decision to ease quotas on steel and aluminum imports from Argentina, Brazil and South Korea for large infrastructure projects that had contracts in place before March 2018.
Toomey recently sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross describing the quotas’ impact on Pennsylvania manufacturers and contractors with pre-existing contracts with steel producers in these countries.
Toomey noted that Shell Chemical Appalachia is currently constructing a multi-billion dollar petrochemical facility in Beaver County. The quotas, Toomey said, would have hindered the company’s ability to import the steel products needed for the project, led to construction delays and threatened high-paying jobs.
“I appreciate the Trump administration removing import quotas for some companies engaged in large-scale infrastructure projects,” Toomey said. “This decision will preserve good jobs not only in Beaver County but across the country. While this is a step in the right direction, these companies and their workers will still be at a competitive disadvantage as they will be required to pay tariffs instead of being able to freely buy the materials needed for their operations. It is time for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority on trade matters by passing the bipartisan Corker-Toomey legislation.”