August 2022 Volume 4

WASHINGTON UPDATE

USTR is keeping the tariffs in place while the Biden administration tries to walk their tightrope. A full review of whether to maintain current policy could begin later this year, but FIA is not taking any chances. We are not only lobbying the U.S. Trade Representative as they work on the tariff review but also testifying at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Congress included language in a March 2022 spending law directing the ITC to investigate and present a report to lawmakers by March 2023 on the impact of the Section 301 tariffs on industry. The ITC recently selected Jim Warren, President & CEO of FIA, and association member Trenton Forging Company to testify at the three-day hearing in late July. Chinese steel forgings for machinery exceeded those of any other country in 2017, prior to the imposition of the 25 percent tariff rate. For the past three years, China also led all importers of forged gear blanks and ranks second only toMexico in the shipping of articles of forged iron and steel. The threat coming from Chinese forgings to American economic and national security is real. China increased its market share by 9 percent over the past five years and today, India, Turkey, and Brazil account for an additional 15 percent also leading to a broader concern over sourcing from allies if the U.S. forging base continues to erode.

With a clear seat at the table, FIA continues to lobby the Biden administration to support the U.S. forging industry and maintain the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Unfortunately, those promoting Chinese imports also have a seat at the table, which is why FIA is fighting for the industry at USTR, the ITC, on Capitol Hill, and within the White House. Biden’s bind is a making of his own and FIA has a straightforward solution – keep the tariffs on Chinese forgings in place.

Omar S. Nashashibi is a founding partner at The Franklin Partnership, LLC, a Washington-D.C. based lobbying firm representing the Forging Industry Association before the federal government. Phone: 202-715-1264 Email: omar@franklinpartnership.com www.franklinpartnership.com

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2022 5