Brown tells Boehner to take up China currency bill for sake of Ohioans

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) urged his fellow Ohioan Speaker John Boehner (R) to have the House take up his bill that punishes China for flouting trade laws.

“The manufacturing industry in central Ohio and across our state is bouncing back, but challenges remain — and that’s why we can’t turn a blind eye when countries like China cheat trade laws,” Brown said in a statement Thursday.

Brown spoke at Columbus Castings, which manufactures undercarriage components for rail cars and a variety of heavy-duty industrial components. Brown said low-grade products from China sold within the United States are unfairly underpricing companies such as this.

“Our workers and business can compete with anyone when we ensure a level playing field – and that includes addressing China’s currency manipulation,” Brown said. 

The Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act, introduced by Brown, passed the Senate in 2011 and boasts 22 co-sponsors from both parties. But the House still hasn’t taken S. 1619 up for a vote on the floor.

“My bill that punishes China when it cheats has broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, but it has languished in the U.S. House for almost a year,” Brown said. “Our workers and businesses can’t wait any longer for action.”

Brown cited a report from the Economic Policy Institute that said the United States has lost more than 2.7 million jobs as a result of the U.S.-China trade deficit, of which 2.1 million — more than 75 percent — were in manufacturing.

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