Vice President Harris is expected to voice opposition to the sale of U.S. Steel during a joint rally Monday with President Biden in Pennsylvania.
According to her campaign, Harris is “expected to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated and stress her commitment to always have the backs of American steel workers.”
The remarks are in line with Biden’s opposition to the December announcement that Nippon Steel of Japan planned to buy U.S. Steel for roughly $14 billion.
In March, Biden pushed back on the potential sale, calling it “vital” for the company to remain domestically owned.
The White House at the time sought to downplay the tension that might stem from Biden opposing the deal with Japan, a close U.S. ally.
Pennsylvania steelworkers raised concerns about the proposed sale, highlighting U.S. supply chains and union jobs.
In a statement to The Hill, U.S. Steel said it remains committed to the transaction with Nippon Steel because it is the “best deal for our employees, shareholders, communities and customers.”
“The partnership with Nippon Steel, a long-standing investor in the United States from our close ally Japan, will strengthen the American steel industry, American jobs, and American supply chains, and enhance the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness and resilience against China alone,” U.S. Steel said.
The company said the nearly 4,000 Pennsylvania U.S. Steel employees would benefit from the transaction.
Biden and Harris are set to attend Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, their first joint speaking appearance since the president dropped out of the race and endorsed the vice president to take over as the Democratic Party’s nominee.
The speech Monday in Pittsburgh is part of the Harris campaign’s battleground blitz, an attempt to visit critical states in the lead-up to the election. With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state that Harris hopes to secure.
In the early stages of her campaign, Harris has attempted to champion some of the Biden administration’s strengths while building off the momentum she’s gained by opening the door to a new generation and era of politics.
“We’re not going back,” has been one of her key rallying cries so far.
Updated at 1:51 p.m. EDT
