CEI joins Market Institute on Nippon Steel investment.

Photo Credit: Getty

Dear Secretary Yellen:

We represent a broad coalition of free-market, conservative, and individual liberty organizations united in our support of a market free of government interference – in this case Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel.

Nippon Steel is paying $14 billion for U. S. Steel because free market tax and regulatory policies pursued over time have made the United States an attractive destination for foreign investment. In particular, lowering the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent (the highest in the developed world) to 21 percent, along with providing full business expensing, neutral treatment of interest derived from investment debt, and full research deductibility (all vital to steel manufacturers) have vastly improved the U.S. investment climate.

Additionally, if Nippon Steel purchases U. S. Steel it will maintain all plants and workers in the United States, a big improvement over a status quo where the American steel industry lost workers nearly every year since World War II. If U.S. Steel is acquired by a competitor other than Nippon Steel, there is no doubt these job slides will continue.

The combination of Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will create one of the world’s largest and most globally competitive steel companies. Finally, the United States–along with our longtime allies in Japan–will be able to challenge the socialist, government-subsidized Chinese steel industry anywhere in the world. A free market steel industry that comes from democratic republics will give emerging countries a better choice against China than they have today. There is no understating both the soft and hard power advantages to this for the United States.

The acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel is a good outcome from our perspective, and we urge the Administration to let it proceed without political interference.

Sincerely,

Charles Sauer

Market Institute

Grover Norquist

Americans for Tax Reform

John Tamny

Parkview Institute

David McIntosh

Club for Growth

Gerard Scimeca

Case for Consumers

Steve Moore

Unleash Prosperity Network

James Martin

60 Plus

Dan Mitchell

Center for Freedom and Prosperity

James Edwards

Conservatives for Property Rights

Jason Pye

Freedomworks

George Landrith

Frontiers of Freedom

Jeff Cargerman

Inventor’s Project

Terry Neese

National Grassroots Network

Yael Ossowski

Consumer Choice Center

Tom Giovanetti

Institute for Policy Innovation

Ryan Ellis

Center for a Free Economy

Pete Sepp

National Taxpayers Union

Phil Kerpen

American Commitment

Angela McArdle

Libertarian National Committee

Ryan Young

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Jeff Mazzella

Center for Individual Freedom

Saul Anuzis

American Association of Senior Citizens

Julie Cho

Fairer America

James Davis

Fans for Fair Play

Colonel Rob Maness

Gator PAC

James Golden

New Journey PAC

Norm Singleton

US Policy

Mario H. Lopez

Hispanic Leadership Fund

Ralph Benko

Capitalist League

Steve Pociask

American Consumer Institute

Tom Hebert

Open Competition Center

Lisa Cathy

African American Education Alliance

Donny Ferguson

Americans for a Better Economy

Donna Jackson

Project 21

Joshua Delano

Southeast Texans for Liberty

David Williams

Taxpayer Protection Alliance

Gene Mills

Louisiana Family Forum

Karen Kerrigan

Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council

Paul Gessing

Rio Grande Foundation

Patrick Brenner

Southwest Public Policy Center

Autry Pruitt

MAGA Black

Casey Given

Young Voices

Jerry Rogers

Institute for Liberty