Senator Mike Rounds Joins AKCA to Support Historic Trade Case Against China That Impacts 250,000 American Jobs
WASHINGTON, July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA) hosted U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) for an on-the-record conversation about a more than $9.5 billion trade case filed against wooden cabinets and vanities from China ? one of the largest cases ever filed against China at the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce.
In addition to hosting Senator Rounds, the AKCA released two new compelling pieces of video content chronicling the American kitchen cabinet industry's fight against China's unfair trade practices, including one narrated by Governor Mike Huckabee.
"The kitchen cabinet industry plays a vital role in our economy, supporting thousands of jobs in South Dakota and more than 250,000 jobs across the U.S.," said U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD). "In the U.S. Senate, I will continue to support investigations by the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission to address unfair trading practices that are hurting U.S. kitchen cabinet workers. American businesses can compete with anyone in the world if they are given an opportunity. We must make certain our kitchen cabinet industry is on a level playing field with its global competitors."
"We were pleased to have Senator Rounds join us this morning and lend his support to our fight against China's unfair trade practices, which threaten more than 250,000 American jobs," said Stephen Wellborn, the director of product and research development at AKCA member Wellborn Cabinet. "The vast majority of these American kitchen cabinet jobs are in America's heartland. If these hundreds of thousands of jobs go away, the impact will be devastating for our workers and their families."
"With a level playing field, American kitchen cabinet manufacturers can compete with any company or country in the world," said Mark Trexler, president and CEO of Master WoodCraft Cabinetry. "What we cannot compete with is China's cheating. We thank Senator Rounds for standing with American workers and their families. Our workers pride themselves in the tradition of American craftsmanship and that tradition is under direct attack from China. We need the Trump Administration and the ITC to stand with American workers and protect this great American industry."
"The U.S. cabinet and vanity industry and its workers have suffered for years due to dumped and subsidized imports from China," said Timothy C. Brightbill, counsel to the AKCA and partner in the International Trade Practice at Wiley Rein LLP. "We urge the Commerce Department and the ITC to continue to thoroughly investigate these unfair trade practices and to apply the trade remedy laws to dumped and subsidized Chinese products."
Since 2015, China has increased imports of illegally subsidized and dumped kitchen cabinet material into the United States, with overall imports up by over 75 percent. Despite record-high growth throughout the U.S. economy, the American kitchen cabinet industry is being undermined by Chinese imports. This is jeopardizing the domestic industry and threatening the 250,000 workers it employs across America.
The AKCA initiated the case against China at the International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce in March 2019, and recently received an important first win with the ITC issuing an affirmative preliminary injury vote in April 2019. The victory is an important first step in the trade case against China. The AKCA continues to call on the ITC, Commerce, the Trump administration, and Congress to stand up for American workers and the American wooden cabinet and vanity industry.
About AKCA:
The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA) is a coalition of organizations that have joined forces to fight for American kitchen cabinet workers and our industry. Established in 2019, AKCA is standing up for American workers and supporting the actions of those who oppose China's cheating of America's kitchen cabinet industry. We are proud to support one of the largest trade cases in history filed against China at the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Department of Commerce. For more information, visit: www.kitchencabinetfairtrade.com.
SOURCE American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance
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