Senator Brown calls for greater scrutiny into foreign investments

On Thursday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, along with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced legislation to review foreign investments in the United States to determine whether they are in the best interests of the nation over the long term.

The United States Foreign Investment Review Act would require a review of proposed foreign investments for their impact on the U.S. economy and jobs, give Congress the ability to request additional reviews, and ensure that all reviews are made public.

“Foreign investments should lead to good-paying jobs in Chillicothe and Chesterville — not huge payouts for the Chinese government,” Brown said. “State-owned enterprises and foreign investors determined to put American companies out of business should not be able to invest in our economy at the expense of American workers. It’s simple — before we do business with a foreign entity, let’s make sure it will create jobs and grow the U.S. economy.”

Brown, along with Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, are continuing to ask the International Trade Commission to make a strong recommendation to President Donald Trump to provide relief to Whirlpool’s Clyde plant in the wake of an ITC ruling finding that the plant was put at a disadvantage by washing machine imports from Samsung and LG.

“We urge you to fully enforce U.S. trade law and recommend strong trade remedies. Doing so will ensure that workers and manufacturers in our state have an opportunity to compete within a fair domestic marketplace,” the senators wrote in a letter to the ITC. “More than 3,000 of Whirlpool’s employees work in Clyde, Ohio, where they make washing machines. These workers’ livelihoods are directly threatened by the nefarious practices of Samsung and LG, and we must continue to fight back against these foreign competitors who are attempting to cheat our trade system.”

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill authored by Portman and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, to reauthorize current research and improve public health programs related to hearing loss in newborns, infants and young children. The bill was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology, among others.

“Early hearing detection is critical because children with hearing loss often fall behind their peers in speech development, cognitive skills, and social skills,” Portman said. “This measure represents an important step towards improving early hearing detection and intervention for newborns, infants, and young children, and I’m pleased that President Trump has signed this legislation into law.”

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Craig Kelly

Tribune Content Agency

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