House Ways And Means Chair Calls For Investigation Into Global Aluminum Overcapacity

Last week, U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) called on the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate how overcapacity in world aluminum markets has affected U.S. producers of the metal. Chairman Brady said the investigation should concentrate from 2011 to 2015, but look at longer-term trends going back to 2001. He said the report should contain:

• An overview of the U.S. aluminum industry in the United States and other major global producing and exporting countries;
• Information on recent trade trends and developments in the global aluminum market;
• A comparison of the “competitive strengths and weaknesses of aluminum production and exports in the United States and other major producing and exporting countries”; and
• A qualitative and quantitative “assessment of the impact of government policies and programs in major foreign aluminum producing and exporting countries on their aluminum production, exports, consumption, and domestic prices, as well as on the U.S. aluminum industry and on aluminum markets worldwide.”

The chairman’s letter is available here. 

Chairman Brady requested the report be sent to the committee within 16 months; at that point, committee would make the report available to the public. Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Committee members Charles Boustany (R-LA), Diane Black (R-TN), Tom Reed (R-NY), and Jason Smith (R-MO) led the fight for the investigation, Chairman Brady said. 

In his letter, Chairman Brady noted, “A healthy and growing aluminum industry is not only important to our economy, but is also vital for our national defense.”