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June 7, 2001
ROCKEFELLER COMMENDS PRESIDENT BUSH'S WITHDRAWAL OF STEEL FOE FROM CONSIDERATION FOR KEY ECONOMIC POST
Professor Anne Krueger No Longer a Candidate for Economic Council
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In another important development for the United States steel industry this week, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) praised the withdrawal of Professor Anne Krueger’s name as a nominee for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Rockefeller had criticized the President’s intent to nominate Krueger when it was announced last month. He later wrote a letter to the President urging him to reconsider her for the post because of her history of opposing the domestic steel industry in numerous trade cases.
"The Administration’s ability to take decisive actions to save our American steel industry would have been significantly hampered if Professor Krueger had served on the Council," Rockefeller said. "Professor Krueger has shown an inability to be impartial and open-minded regarding the steel import crisis, and I am relieved that her name has been withdrawn."
The Council of Economic Advisors, for which Krueger was being considered, is expected to play a significant role in advising the Bush Administration on what actions to take regarding a Section 201 investigation. A Section 201 can lead to temporary restrictions on all imported steel products -- a move that is desperately needed in order to end the illegal flood of imports that is currently ravaging the domestic steel industry.
Earlier this week, President Bush announced that he will ask the International Trade Commission (ITC) to pursue a Section 201, a decision that Rockefeller had been lobbying for over the last two years. Once the ITC completes its investigation, the Administration then has discretion over how to implement penalties and restrictions due to any violations that the ITC uncovers. Rockefeller added that the Administration’s actions must be comprehensive -- covering all steel products -- in order to be effective.
"While it has been an important week in our fight to save American steel, we still have a long way to go before we can be confident that the industry is firmly back on solid ground," Rockefeller said.
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