The bipartisan Congressional Steel Caucus announced this week that Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Mike Bost (R-IL) will lead the Congressional Steel Caucus as Co-Chairmen. The caucus was created in the early 1970s to promote the health of the domestic steel industry and its workforce.
Arkansas’ first congressional district, of which Mississippi County is a part, is the second highest steel-producing district in the country and Mississippi County alone is very near to top or steel producing counties. Nationally the steel industry supports nearly a million jobs nationwide and employs 140,000 people.
The supply of steel is a fundamental resource, critical to the building and maintenance of the nation’s roads, bridges, cars, tanks and ships and therefore is certainly an item of national security.
“Steel isn’t a product that we can depend on other nations to produce for us. Critical to our country’s infrastructure, military, and economy as a whole, a strong domestic steel industry is a national security imperative that also provides excellent opportunities for people across the country living largely in rural areas like my district, the second most steel producing district in the nation,” Crawford said. “From working against unfair trade practices to protecting good-paying and highly-skilled American jobs, I’m looking forward to leading this caucus with my colleagues, Representatives Mike Bost and Peter Visclosky.”
Steel production has also become a very critical piece of the economy of Mississippi County, not only with the steel mills but also with they numerous auxiliary industries that also employee thousands in the area.
"I think what you're seeing is sort of a geographic shift in the center of steel production. Where it's historically been in the Rust Belt, now ... we're starting to see the steel industry move south, so having that seat at the table's important for us," Crawford said.
Bost also expressed his excitement of being named co-chair, “I am honored…we’ve got a new platform to fight for our steelworkers and American-made jobs…steel is a backbone of the U.S. economy…but these jobs are at risk due to global competitors who refuse to play by the rules.”