Historic U.S.-EU steel and aluminum trade arrangement seen as win for American workers, businesses and environment

Reactions continue to trail President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s historic trade arrangement with the European Union.

The White House said the deal “:simply reinforces that the world’s first carbon-based sectoral arrangement on steel and aluminum trade is a win for American workers, businesses, families, and the environment by protecting good-paying union jobs, lowering prices for consumers, maintaining our competitiveness, and reducing emissions.”

See below for what they are saying:

Senator Sherrod Brown (OH): “We are starting to see the tangible benefits of the most pro-worker administration in a generation. The Biden Administration knows that if you want to stand up for American workers and companies in the face of China’s anticompetitive practices, it helps to work with friends and allies, and to listen to American workers. This agreement was negotiated with labor at the table, as all trade policy should. Paired with my bipartisan Build America Buy America Act, this agreement is an important first step in addressing Chinese steel overcapacity and dumping that has cost Ohio jobs.” [Statement, 10/31/21]

Senator Bob Casey (PA): “With this agreement with the EU, the Biden Administration is making good not just on its promise to invest in American workers and American manufacturing, but to focus our energies on those countries and competitors who most distort global markets and undermine American workers. … I thank Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and the United States Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai for consulting closely with steelworkers through this process and for negotiating a deal that is worker-centered and lifts up our domestic steel and aluminum industries.” [Statement, 11/1/21]

Senator Rob Portman (OH): “Pleased to see @USTR Tai and @SecRaimondo close to an agreement with the EU to lift section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and stop the retaliatory tariffs from the the EU, while securing protections for US steel workers and companies.” [Tweet, 10/31/21]

House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (TX-08): “I commend Ambassador Tai and Secretary Raimondo for concluding these difficult discussions in a way that makes important progress both for U.S. exporters and for American manufacturers, energy producers, and many others who depend on reliable European steel or aluminum suppliers.” [Statement, 11/1/21]

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: “The Biden administration’s announcement on an interim arrangement on Section 232 tariffs is good news for workers, domestic producers, climate ambition and our national security. It will ensure U.S. domestic industries remain competitive while committing the United States and European Union to work together to address the root of the problem: Chinese state subsidies and global overcapacity in the steel and aluminum sectors. … With America’s workers at the table, this arrangement is yet another example of how President Biden is delivering on his pledge to implement a worker-centered trade policy and why he says, ‘When I think climate, I think jobs.’” [Statement, 11/1/21]

National Marine Manufacturers Association President Frank Hugelmeyer: “Since their first days in office, President Biden and Ambassador Tai have been committed to resolving the U.S., EU trade dispute that has harmed the American boat building industry, and today we applaud and thank them for delivering on this promise. … Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and his administration, we are no longer saddled with a structural disadvantage to international competitors.” [Statement, 11/1/21]

Harley-Davidson President and CEO Jochen Zeitz: “Today’s news is a big win for Harley-Davidson and our customers, employees and dealers in Europe. Our thanks go out to President Biden, Secretary Raimundo and the U.S. Administration, for their efforts in this negotiation. … This is an important course correction in U.S.-EU trade relations, that will allow us to further Harley-Davidson’s position as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world.” [Statement, 10/30/21]

Brown‑Forman Corporation President and CEO Lawson Whiting: “Brown‑Forman applauds the Biden Administration for today’s announcement between the U.S. and the EU regarding steel and aluminum tariffs. This agreement delivers on the Administration’s promise to rebuild the Transatlantic alliance by removing tariffs on American whiskey and other U.S. exports, which have been in place now for more than three years. We would like to thank Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Ambassador Katherine Tai, their counterparts in the EU, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for their efforts in helping reach this positive resolution.” [Statement, 10/31/21]

Sierra Club Living Economy Program Director Ben Beachy: “The Biden administration just took a critical first step toward a new trade model that prioritizes working families, climate action, and healthy communities over the unjust profits of corporate outsourcers. The Sierra Club commends the Biden administration for pursuing a new, climate-focused agreement with the EU on steel and aluminum trade, which could become the nation’s first climate-friendly trade agreement.” [Statement, 11/1/21]