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The White House

Biden decision on USS/Nippon deal due by Jan. 7: Report

Written by Ethan Bernard

January 2, 2025

The Biden administration faces a Tuesday, Jan. 7, deadline for a decision on the Nippon Steel/U.S. Steel deal, according to a Dec. 31 article in The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, the Japanese steelmaker sent a document to the White House on Monday saying it will give the government veto power over any cut in U.S. Steel’s “production capacity,” the article said.

This offer comes as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) recently delivered a split decision on whether the deal poses a national security threat. That gives President Biden the final decision on the fate of the transaction.

The $14.9-billion deal was first proposed over a year ago in December 2023. Since that time, it has faced growing opposition from politicians, including both Biden and President-elect Trump.

Also, from the deal’s first announcement, it has been vociferously opposed by the United Steelworkers (USW) union.  

USW jeers

The union released a letter on Thursday responding to the reported Nippon offer to the White House.

“According to the press, Nippon says it will allow capacity to be monitored,” the letter said.

However, the USW said the Japanese steelmaker “fails to commit to maintaining production for the long term or actually strengthening domestic capacity in integrated facilities.”

The letter continued that protecting capacity “only means mothballing our equipment, allowing it to rust away to the point that it is no longer feasible to re-start.”

It concluded that this attempt is nothing but a “’Hail Mary’ pass destined to fall to the ground.”

The letter was signed by USW International President David McCall and District 7 Director and Chairman of the USW negotiating committee Mike Millsap.

A request for comment from Nippon was not returned by time of publication.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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