ANALYSIS/OPINION:

President Trump’s recent address on his Afghanistan strategy has already become a pivotal moment in his presidency. While opting to increase troops in Afghanistan, Mr. Trump shifted U.S. goals away from nation building to “pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.” As a Republican, I applaud the president’s renewed focus on U.S. national security, and implore him to take decisive action to protect industries that are strategically important to U.S. national security, like the American steel industry.

Forgotten by too many previous administrations, American workers finally have an ally in the Oval Office who will stand strong against the illegal trade practices that threaten tens of thousands of American steel jobs. Fair trade and free trade are essential to a market economy like ours. But what is happening in the steel area is neither fair or free, it is predatory trade by a number of foreign countries.

Since 2000, the U.S. steel industry has lost 48,000 jobs, with more than 14,000 jobs lost in 2015 and 2016 alone. Countless steel communities across the United States have been decimated due to unfair trade practices being committed by countries such as Vietnam, China, Brazil and Turkey.

The decimation of this iconic American industry has been largely driven by foreign government subsidization of steel, which has deflated prices globally to the point where American producers can’t compete. These bad actors illegally dump their excess steel into the U.S. market, negatively impacting steel communities in Mississippi, Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and across the United States.

The economic impact of this practice has been severe, and it will only continue to worsen unless Mr. Trump takes decisive action to thwart it. These illegal and unfair trade practices do not just jeopardize U.S. economic security and the livelihood of thousands of hardworking American families who have manufactured quality steel for generations, it also threatens U.S. national security.

With each steel plant that closes its doors, we become increasingly dependent on foreign nations for materials critical to our nation’s defense and national security. Steel has unique characteristics enabling it to be a key component in manufacturing resources the military depends on, including firearm gas tubes, plates used for armor, and transformers required for electrical transmission. Right now, just one American plant capable of producing such transformers remains in operation. Without the capacity or ability to source these products domestically, the U.S. puts the safety of our citizens at the mercy of mercurial foreign suppliers who do not support or share American values.

This cannot be allowed to occur any longer.

The U.S. is rightly investigating this threat through a Section 232 investigation. In simple terms, the Section 232 investigation enables our president to impose higher tariffs on foreign steel due to the national security threat posed by steel imports.

The need for action is urgent. Since the Section 232 investigation was announced in April, foreign steel imports have surged dramatically. In June 2017, foreign steel imports soared to their highest monthly total in more than two years, capturing 30 percent of U.S. market share.

Taking immediate and decisive action under Section 232 is the right thing to do and it directly aligns with Mr. Trump’s commitment to American steel workers and their families. If our president stands strong with U.S. steelworkers, they will stand strong with our president for years to come.

Clearly not enough has been done to curb these imports, and Mr. Trump must act decisively to help level the playing field for American workers. American workers, many of whom voted for our president, cannot be content with slow-moving negotiations that give too much power and leverage to countries that have been engaging in illegal trade practices. Nor will it suffice in bringing back and protecting thousands of American steel jobs. Instead, the Trump administration needs to take the next steps forward in the Section 232 investigation to protect U.S. national security interests and helps save thousands of American jobs.

Our president needs to show decisive leadership on this economic and national security issue, and finally put an end to unfair trade practices that are hurting thousands of American steel workers and threatening our vital interests.

Now is the time for Mr. Trump to take decisive action, stand up for U.S. national security and put American steel workers first.

• Judd Gregg, a Republican, is a former governor and three-term senator from New Hampshire who served as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, and as ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Foreign Operations subcommittee.

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