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U.S. Department of Commerce officials needed a reminder recently that they are responsible for enforcing laws meant to protect American workers. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, wasted no time in issuing it. He wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, urging the department to stand up against unfair and illegal trade practices that are again a threat.
Brown referenced a tin plate case and urged Commerce to "not create a backdoor for Chinese-made products to access American tax credits."
The case to which Brown refers is related to antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers.
Later in his letter, Brown writes, "As you know, the people whose livelihoods hang in the balance of these investigations are the steelworkers in Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, W.Va., solar manufacturers in Toledo, and thousands of American workers, who should be able to compete on a level playing field."
It shouldn't take prompting for federal officials to do their jobs. Brown is to be commended for continuing to pressure the Commerce Department.