Taking a global view of the steel industry

By now, the folks in Washington should be sure of one thing: The crisis in the United States steel industry isn't going away.
Whether they are Republicans or Democrats, whether they're from the rust belt or the cotton belt, whether they work in the House, the Senate or the White House -- they should know that there are problems in the steel industry that they are going to have to face. So they might as well do it sooner rather than later. They're already too late for some.
Proposal: The Congressional Steel Caucus has introduced legislation to provide financial and competitive relief to steel companies. It has something for just about everyone in the industry -- labor, management and owners alike.
The Steel Revitalization Act would limit the amount of steel imported into the United States each year, establish a fund to help steel companies provide health care for retired steel workers, increase the amount of money the federal government guarantees on bank loans to steel companies and ease merger costs.
Support in the Steel Caucus is bipartisan. Among the co-sponsors are the representatives for the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, James A. Traficant of Poland, D-17th; Sherrod Brown of Lorain, D-13th; Phil English of Erie, Pa., R-21st, and Melissa Hart of Bradford Woods, Pa., R-4th.
The problem is convincing representatives from nonsteel areas that the disintegration of a domestic steel industry is not a local issue; it is one of national importance. While that would seem to be an easy sell, especially to a new administration that claims to be sensitive to national defense issues, don't be too sure.
Experience: The previous administration claimed to be sensitive to labor union issues, but it essentially sat on its hands for eight years while nation after nation violated existing laws against dumping their steel in our backyards at bargain basement prices. In the meantime, foreign steel flooded the country, jobs were lost, bankruptcies were announced and plants were closed.
Free traders are already lining up to say that its the American steel industry's own fault if it can't compete. That's true only when all the sides are playing by the same rules, which isn't the case. Until it is, the steel industry needs help and any congressman who uses steel -- say in his home or in her car -- would be wise to support this Steel Caucus initiative.