Ahead of the President’s Visit to Northwest Ohio, Brown Calls Out Trump’s Betrayals of Ohio Workers & Working Families

Brown has Led Efforts with Sen. Portman to Help Whirlpool Workers in Clyde; While Brown has Stood Up for Workers, Trump’s Policies Have Hurt Ohio Workers, Left Working Families Behind

CLYDE, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement ahead of President Trump’s visit to northwest Ohio tomorrow. Brown has led efforts with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to help Whirlpool workers in Clyde. After President Trump heeded Brown and Portman’s call to enforce trade action on behalf of Whirlpool, Trump has since championed policy proposals that hurt workers and working families in Ohio and has continually failed to live up to his promises to northwest Ohio workers and workers across the state.

“I’ve worked closely with Whirlpool workers over the years to fight for a level playing field and trade policies that put Ohio workers first. Their talent and innovation are unmatched,” said Brown. “But unfortunately for these workers and for workers across the state, Trump’s economy isn’t working for them. After Sen. Portman and I pushed hard to get President Trump to do the right thing for Whirlpool workers, he has since proceeded to betray working families at every turn and champion policies that leave them behind. From a tax bill that encourages American companies to shift jobs overseas to a total lack of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic to failing to lift a finger to help autoworkers in Lordstown, Ohio workers have been hurt by the Trump Administration and no amount of PR stunts from the President can fool Ohioans who are hurting right now because of his harmful policies.”

Since 2012, Brown has worked to level the playing field for Whirlpool workers by cracking down on countries that unfairly import their products into the U.S. at the expense of American workers.

In September 2017, Brown testified on behalf of Ohio Whirlpool workers in a trade case at the International Trade Commission (ITC). In October, the ITC ruled in favor of Whirlpool. Following the ITO ruling, Brown and Portman sent a letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer urging trade relief for Ohio Whirlpool workers.

In 2012 and again in 2017, Brown visited the Whirlpool plant in Clyde to tour the facility and meet with workers. Brown also spoke with Clyde Whirlpool workers on his podcast.

In October 2016, Brown and Portman wrote to then-U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, urging her to take action against the flood of unfairly traded washing machine imports that are harming U.S. manufacturers and their workers, including the Whirlpool plant in Clyde.

Brown’s legislation, the Leveling the Playing Field Act, signed into law in June 2015, has restored strength to antidumping and countervailing duty statutes that allow businesses and workers in the United States to petition the Commerce Department and the ITC when foreign producers sell goods in the U.S. below market price or receive illegal subsidies. The law led to key wins for Ohio steel companies in major trade cases last year on cold-rolledhot-rolled, and corrosion-resistant steel, including U.S. Steel, Nucor, ArcelorMittal, and AK Steel, which together employ more than 8,200 Ohio workers.

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