Dear Mr. President,

Last week, I met with representatives from Weirton and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporations as well as members of the United Steelworkers of America and the Independent Steelworkers Union to discuss the devastating impact that dumped foreign steel has had on their mill operations and their local communities.

In that meeting, they conveyed to me their strong belief that a self-initiation of a Section 201 case by your Administration -- rather than an initiation by the industry or other party -- would send a powerful message to all of our trading partners that dumping steel in the United States will not be tolerated. In the words of steelworkers and management, the current campaign to pass the so-called "Quota Bill" arose merely out of sheer frustration with your Administration’s reluctance to self-initiate a Section 201 case or take any other meaningful action.

If you remain opposed to self-initiating a Section 201 case, I urge you to offer a legislative proposal that will help us detect and prevent such import surges in the future. Several of my Senate Congress a substantive alternative to the Quota Bill. It is my sincere hope that you and your Administration will work with Congress to enact a legislative solution that is both meaningful and consistent with our international obligations.

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

George V. Voinovich
United States Senate