{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senators-hawley-vance-and-rubio-urge-biden-block-us-steel-sale-foreign-company/", "Senators Hawley, Vance, and Rubio Urge Biden to Block U.S. Steel Sale to Foreign Company", "2024-05-10", "2024", "2024-05", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), JD Vance (R-Ohio), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to block Nippon Steel from acquiring U.S. Steel.\n\nPresident Biden has repeatedly and publicly expressed his support for preventing a foreign takeover of one of America\u2019s flagship companies. Nonetheless, Biden has refused to use his authority as president to block the deal.\n\n\u201cBy law you possess the authority to block the sale of U.S. Steel unilaterally under the Defense Production Act, 50 U.S.C. \u00a7 4565(d), or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. \u00a7 1702(a), when a national emergency is declared. You may exercise these powers now,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\nThey continued, \u201cPronouncements about what you consider \u2018vital\u2019 or what you think \u2018should\u2019 happen to U.S. Steel are worthless unless you act to keep U.S. Steel under American control.\u201d\n\nSenator Hawley has been a leader on this issue. In December of last year, he sent a letter with Senators Vance and Rubio to Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), urging her to block the sale of U.S. Steel to the Japanese steel company.\n\nRead the full letter here or below:\n\nMay 9, 2024\n\nPresident Joseph R. Biden, Jr.\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\n\nWashington, DC 20500\n\nDear President Biden:\n\nWe write to express our frustration with your public statements regarding the sale of U.S. Steel Corporation (\u201cU.S. Steel\u201d) to Nippon Steel Corporation (\u201cNippon\u201d).\n\nFor weeks you have maintained that \u201cit is vital for [U.S. Steel] to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.\u201d You have since asserted that it \u201cshould remain an American company . . . American-owned and American-operated.\u201d These statements amount to wishes, not declarations, and belie your authority as President of the United States.\n\nBy law you possess the authority to block the sale of U.S. Steel unilaterally under the Defense Production Act, 50 U.S.C. \u00a7 4565(d), or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. \u00a7 1702(a), when a national emergency is declared. You may exercise these powers now. Pronouncements about what you consider \u201cvital\u201d or what you think \u201cshould\u201d happen to U.S. Steel are worthless unless you act to keep U.S. Steel under American control.\n\nYour predecessor displayed no such reticence. President Trump exercised his powers to suspend or prohibit foreign transactions unilaterally more than any other president. He forced divestitures to safeguard the American semiconductor industry and protect Americans\u2019 data from firms linked to foreign adversaries. He has already declared that he would block the sale of U.S. Steel.\n\nWe urge you to summon the courage to do the right thing. Declare whether you will exercise your presidential authority to prohibit or suspend the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon.\n\nSincerely,\n\nJosh Hawley\n\nUnited States Senator\n\nJ.D. Vance\n\nUnited States Senator", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senators-hawley-vance-and-rubio-urge-biden-block-us-steel-sale-foreign-company/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.349249854683876, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}