Having "good people" in place at the US Commerce Department who can help get the Section 

232  import  investigation done soon is necessary, Steel Manufacturers Association President 

Philip Bell said Thursday. 

Bell  was  responding to an S&P Global Platts report Wednesday in which US Senate Minority 

Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat-New York, said he would put a hold on the Senate floor on 

two  top  pending  Commerce  nominees  until  the  department  "provides  a  satisfactory and 

meaningful response on the progress of critical investigations that will help protect our upstat 

e steel and aluminum companies." 

"There  is  no question that the steel industry would like to see the administration move faster 

on its Section  232 investigations," Bell told Platts. "Letting the self-imposed June 30 deadline 

pass and the subsequent delays in action have contributed to a surge in foreign steel imports

. While the  intent  of putting a hold on the confirmation process is to keep the 232 investigatio

n front and center, the real question is, what is the best way to do this?" 

Bell maintained: "Swift confirmation of key Commerce Department nominees, who are highly 

qualified,  have  broad  steel  industry  support  and can prudently advise the administration 

should help expedite the 232 process." 

Expressing  frustration  with the administration's failure to resolve two ongoing investigations 

into  the  impact  of  steel  and  aluminum  imports on national security, Schumer had said he 

would stall the Commerce nominations of Gil Kaplan for undersecretary for international trade 

and  Nazakhtar  Nikakhtar  for  assistant  secretary  of  commerce,  industry  and analysis. He 

described  the  administration's  lack  of  progress  as  "a fairy tale of promises, which actually 

does not live up to a real crackdown on foreign predatory trade practices." 

Commerce  self-initiated  separate  232  investigations into the impact of steel and aluminum 

imports on national security in April amid much fanfare by the administration and promises of 

fast  findings  and  subsequent  action.  The  investigations could result in the introduction of 

tariffs, duties, quotas or other measures. Such probes can take up to 270 days, but the admi 

nistration   said  last  spring  it  was  fast-tracking  the  investigations and expected to release 

results by June 30.