Metals Service Center Institute:
115th Congress Must Act Boldly, Swiftly

Rolling Meadows, Ill., Jan. 3, 2017 —As the new Congress convenes in Washington, D.C., members of the industrial metals sector will be watching and holding lawmakers accountable for fulfilling their election promises, M. Robert Weidner, III, president and CEO of the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), said today.

“The American people made it clear on Election Day that they were unhappy with the direction the country was moving and wanted decisive change,” said Weidner. “That means stopping the endless bickering about reform and working together to pass practical, bipartisan legislation.” Weidner and the industrial metals industry are looking for action that will spur infrastructure investment and also reform tax and regulatory systems. MSCI is also expecting the administration and Congress to keep its promises to impose penalties for foreign countries that don’t play by international trade rules, ensure there is a skilled workforce to fill 21st century manufacturing jobs, and fix what’s broken in the health care system.

To help federal lawmakers evaluate their options, MSCI has outlined a robust, bipartisan policy agenda that will strengthen the industrial metals supply chain and improve the overall economy. That agenda includes asking Congress to:

• Approve free trade agreements that strengthen enforcement mechanisms and allow the executive branch to address currency manipulation.
• Pass a comprehensive tax reform bill that reduces the overall tax burden for both small businesses and corporations and establishes a simpler and fairer system that will encourage investment and innovation.
• Require a nonpartisan, in-depth cost-benefit analysis for every proposed regulation and require congressional approval of any regulation with costs of more than $100 million.
• Establish a national energy policy that produces a steady, reliable and affordable supply of energy, including renewable and non-renewable, from all domestic sources.
• Find creative solutions to rebuild and expand the nation’s infrastructure.
• Enact innovative, consumer-driven health care reforms that reduce individual, family and business costs and improves accessibility to quality health care.
• Ensure federal education and training systems prepare today’s students for the 21st century economy and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

“The 115th Congress has set a clear and very bold agenda and we are excited about that — but the question now is if the new administration and lawmakers in both parties will work together,” said Weidner. “We come into this new year optimistic, and with a great willingness to work with all members of Congress and the Trump administration, but MSCI members will be watching and will hold their representatives in Washington accountable if the change that they promised last November doesn’t translate into real progress.”

For more information on MSCI’s policy agenda, visit MSCI’s website.

The industrial metals supply chain—companies involved in the production, wholesaling, and primary processing of steel, aluminum, stainless, copper, and brass—provides approximately 2.4 million jobs paying about $55 billion in wages, generates approximately $170 billion in annual economic impact, and around $64 billion in tax revenues.