'Harris with a Pro-Union Stance Opposes US Steel's Sale to Japan'

Joint Rally with Biden in Pittsburgh for Labor Day
"Emphasizing Support for US Steel Workers"

Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in the United States, is expected to express opposition to Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel. This move is seen as a strategy to secure the decisive labor union vote in battleground states just over two months before the November presidential election.

On the 2nd (local time), Harris will hold a joint campaign rally with President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to mark Labor Day and announce this position.

Pittsburgh is home to the headquarters of US Steel, a symbol of American steel manufacturing. Harris plans to visit this location with President Biden, who has built close ties with labor unions over decades, to emphasize that US Steel should be owned and operated by American capital and to express her commitment to supporting American steelworkers.

Earlier, President Biden also publicly opposed the acquisition of US Steel. When Nippon Steel announced in December last year that it would acquire US Steel, a symbol of American steel manufacturing, for $14.9 billion, the American labor sector and political circles strongly opposed it. In response, President Biden issued a statement in March opposing the sale of US Steel. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, also expressed opposition to the merger and acquisition (M&A) of the two companies.

With opposition from the U.S. political sphere and labor unions coinciding with the presidential election season, Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel is facing difficulties. Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing whether this deal violates antitrust laws if it goes through. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is also conducting a review related to Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel. CFIUS can block M&A on national security grounds.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris is expanding her outreach to labor unions to secure victory in the presidential election. Labor union votes are expected to play a decisive role in winning battleground states that will determine the election outcome. Among the seven battleground states where Harris and former President Trump are in a close race, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin each have one-fifth of their voters belonging to labor unions. Accordingly, Harris is expanding her pro-union activities as a strategy to win over the votes of white workers in the 'Rust Belt,' an area of declining industrial regions that Trump has been focusing on.

Before joining President Biden for a joint rally in Pittsburgh on the same day, Vice President Harris will visit Detroit, Michigan, to deliver a speech to members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.