WASHINGTON – U.S Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Tim Ryan (D-OH), wrote to Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Tuesday, urging her to look into the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on steel trailer wheels from China and, specifically, whether the scope of these orders cover wheel parts produced in China and assembled in a third country.

The lawmakers are concerned that China is attempting to work around these orders by nominally moving production to a third country, undermining how U.S. trade laws are intended to work, and hurting domestic companies like Dexstar Wheel, and its parent, Americana Tire & Wheel, headquartered in Columbus, according to a news release from Portman’s office.

“Ohio has a strong and proud manufacturing history,” wrote the lawmakers. “We want to be certain that Dexstar Wheel and other American manufactures and their employees are provided every opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Further, we believe it is important that the Department take the appropriate steps to ensure that the orders in place are not evaded or impacted by any decision that could have a negative outcome for the domestic industry.”

This case is the latest in a long list of global dumping cases targeting Ohio manufacturers. Senators Portman and Brown applauded the ruling from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) last month, siding with American tire workers to fully and fairly enforce U.S. trade remedy laws, the release stated.

Portman and Brown have led efforts in pressing the ITC to give full and fair consideration to the United Steelworker’s petitions in these cases of unfairly traded imports.

In April, Senators Portman and Brown introduced the Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0 to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and ensure they remain effective tools to fight back against unfair trade practices and protect American workers.

This legislation builds upon the Leveling the Playing Field Act, a bill signed into law by former President Obama in 2015, that gives U.S. companies new tools to fight against unfair trade practices.