Obama, Romney divergent on metals issues

Nov 02, 2012 | 07:20 AM | Catherine Ngai, Samuel Frizell

Tags  Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, manufacturing, metals, trade, automakers, Chrysler, general motors Keystone XL

NEW YORK — With just days to go before the presidential election, the stakes are higher than ever as both candidates reach out to voters in their last-ditch efforts to obtain victory. AMM takes a closer look at the track records of President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney on issues pertaining to the metals and manufacturing industry.

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Trade

Obama:

• During his State of the Union speech in January, Obama announced the creation of a new trade enforcement unit intended to crack down on unfair trade (amm.com, Jan. 25). Critics on Capitol Hill, however, say that the group has been slow to take off. • A large number of trade cases have been won at the World Trade Organization during the Obama administration, including China's export restrictions on a number of raw materials and a case on grain-oriented electrical steel. Other cases are still pending, including a complaint against Chinese duties on U.S. auto exports. • The White House has said Obama has been successful in putting pressure on China to increase the value of its currency, with the yuan moving up some 11 percent since Obama took office.  Romney:....