Senate Democrats back Commerce investigation into Chinese tire dumping

More than two dozen Senate Democrats expressed support for the Obama administration’s efforts to investigate the dumping of Chinese tire imports in the United States. 

All told, 31 senators sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on Monday, supporting her agency’s decision to examine the tire imports while urging action to restore fair trade conditions.

{mosads}The Commerce investigations are in response to petitions filed by the United Steelworkers (USW), on behalf of U.S. tire workers, who allege that Chinese tire companies are illegally subsidizing their tire industry and tires and dumping them on the U.S. market.

They argue that China is dumping tires that are as much as 88% percent below fair market value and identify 39 separate subsidies available to tire producers in China.

“In the face of China’s continual targeting of our manufacturing base, we need to make sure that we act quickly and enforce our laws,” they wrote.

“America’s laws against unfair trade are a critical underpinning of our economic policies and economic prosperity,” they said.

The lawmakers argue that since anti-dumping duties ended in 2012, tire imports from China have roughly doubled — increasing to 50.8 million in 2013 from 24.5 million iin 2011.

The letter was signed by Sens. Kay Hagan (N.C.) Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Bob Casey (Pa.), Chris Coons (Del.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Al Franken (Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), Tim Kaine (Va.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Carl Levin (Mich.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Barbara Mikulski (Md.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Bernie Sanders (Vt.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Mark Warner (Va.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.).