Steel User Testifies: Tariffs are a Tax on U.S. Manufacturers

“The tariffs are already causing our jobs and work to shift to competitors outside our borders and will continue to do so until action is taken. What was presented as a tariff on foreign steel producers has effectively become a tax on U.S. manufacturers like us,” stated Kevin Kennedy, president of Kennedy Fabricating, Inc., Splendora, Texas, in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. Following is an edited transcript of Kennedy’s testimony in opposition to Section 232:

“The structural steel industry in the U.S. employs over 200,000 people in 2,300 businesses of which 1,700 are fabricators like us. These companies are the very essence of American small business… We fabricate steel for a wide array of end uses that make up the country’s infrastructure: drilling rigs, cell towers, commercial buildings, pipelines and industrial plants. In this decade alone, we have grown revenue over 40x. We are proof that American manufacturers can still compete in a world of cheap foreign labor….