PRESIDENT Joe Biden remains determined to make sure US Steel Corp remains in American hands, the White House said on Thursday.
“The president remains determined to make sure that US Steel stays in American hands, as he has said,” said spokesperson John Kirby. “And that’s the goal he’s going to continue to pursue.”
Three Republican senators wrote to the Democratic president earlier on Thursday, calling on him to use emergency powers to block the sale of the Pittsburgh-based company to Japan’s Nippon Steel. The White House has not said whether the president legally can or will do so.
“We urge you to summon the courage to do the right thing,” senators J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio wrote. “Declare whether you will exercise your presidential authority to prohibit or suspend the sale of US Steel to Nippon.”
The European Commission on Monday approved the US$14.9 billion buyout, saying the deal does not raise competition concerns despite the political opposition it faces in the United States. REUTERS
