{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://visclosky.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/visclosky-testimony-at-itc-hearing-on-welded-line-pipe", "Visclosky Testimony at ITC Hearing on Welded Line Pipe", "2015-10-06", "2015", "2015-10", "Democrat", "House", "IN", "Peter Visclosky", "V000108", "visclosky.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC  Below is the testimony of Congressman Pete Visclosky from todays International Trade Commission (ITC) hearing on welded line pipe, as prepared for delivery.\nI would like to thank Chairman Broadbent, Vice Chairman Pinkert, members of the Commission, and all of your staff, for your continued work to protect American steelworkers from unfair trade practices. I am always grateful to testify before this Commission, and I appreciate your indulgence as I provided testimony just last week in the case involving cut-to-length carbon plate from China, Russia, and Ukraine. \nFor todays proceedings, I urge the Commission to make an affirmative injury determination on the illegal import of welded line pipe from Korea and Turkey. I am deeply concerned about the unrelenting efforts of foreign producers to violate our trade laws and breach international trading standards to the detriment and harm of the American steel industry and other manufacturing industries. During a recent meeting with a domestic steel producer, I was provided a copy of an email that they acquired from a company that exports Chinese goods. The email offered to provide information on how to avoid the high antidumping duties levied on products from China by circumventing country of origin labeling requirements. This evidently is a common practice, and is absolutely unacceptable. I recognize that this is an issue addressed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but I believe this email illustrates how some have a blatant disregard for U.S. trade laws. We cannot stand by and let these producers flood our free market with illegal imports.\nSpecific to todays case, I would point out that the welded line pipe sector is critical to the overall success of the American steel industry. None of the petitioning companies in this case are located in my district, but flat-rolled steel, which is used in the production of welded line pipe, is a major product manufactured in my district. This shows the interconnectedness and breadth of communities and workers that will be harmed if we continue to allow illegal imports of the product under review today. In 2015, Korea had the highest level of imports of welded line pipe, at 58.9 percent, and Turkey had the fourth highest level, at 6 percent. Between 2012 and the second quarter of 2015, 690 individuals in the welded line pipe sector have lost their jobs, and many more have experienced reduced work hours. We must act now to ensure that our domestic producers do not sustain further irreparable damage. \nIn summation, I would again urge the Commission to make an affirmative injury determination in this case involving welded line pipe from Korea and Turkey. American steelworkers produce the highest quality steel in the world. An affirmative determination in this case would protect these steelworkers from further harm and send a clear message that America does not tolerate illegal trade.\nI again thank you for your thoughtful and diligent deliberations on this case, and again appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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": ["http://visclosky.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/visclosky-testimony-at-itc-hearing-on-welded-line-pipe"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9228470735251904, "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"}