For far too long, our trade policy has allowed our steelworkers and other Ohio industries to drown under unfair foreign competition.

Too often, we see trade remedy orders put in place on imports from one country, only to see the U.S. market flooded with dumped or subsidized imports of that same product from a different country. Sometimes it’s the exact same company — they just move production to get around the rules.

That’s why Senator Portman and I worked together to pass the landmark 2015 overhaul of our trade remedy laws, the Leveling the Playing Field Act – and it’s why we’ve teamed up again on the follow-up to that successful law.

Leveling the Playing Field gave U.S. companies new tools to fight back against unfair trade practices, and it delivered results. The law allowed businesses like Whirlpool to seek relief from unfair foreign competition by petitioning the International Trade Commission.
But we know our work isn’t finished. Ohio companies – particularly in the steel industry – still face unfair competition, and the competition is always coming up with new ways to skirt around the rules.

That’s why we’re working to build on the success of the Leveling the Playing Field Act with the Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act. It would help us crack down on repeat offenders and serial cheaters, by establishing the new concept of “successive investigations,” and giving us new tools to address the so-called “whack-a-mole” problem.

We know our competition hasn’t stopped coming up with new ways to skirt the rules and distort the global market to benefit their own companies. We have the tools needed to level the playing field for all Ohio companies, and we need our trade laws to keep up.

Sherrod Brown is a Democrat and the senior U.S. senator representing Ohio. His office can be reached at 212-224-2315.