Homeland Security must be taking notes from Wal-Mart

[RadioFan]

Lawmakers blast DHS for building border fence with Chinese steel

House members allied with the domestic steel industry blasted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday for building a fence on the Mexican border with Chinese steel.

“By allowing the use of Chinese pipe [a type of steel], DHS is allowing the U.S. taxpayer to subsidize Chinese production at the expense of the American workers,” Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) said at a press conference. “This is completely unacceptable.”

“This is outrageous, it’s offensive and it’s unacceptable,” charged Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).

English displayed photos of a portion of the border fence from San Luis, Ariz., that shows pipes marked “China” holding the border fence in place. He said DHS’s Office of Congressional Affairs had indicated it had waived the so-called Buy American rules in order to use the Chinese pipe and tube. The rules normally require the use of U.S. steel in such projects.

The Office of Public Affairs referred questions to Customs Border Protection, which did not respond by press time.

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.), who authored a bill signed into law last year mandating 850 miles of fence along the border, said DHS should have gone to U.S. producers to procure any necessary steel or pipe.

“The Department of Homeland Security has, the last time I checked, $800 million cash on hand available to build the border fence. So they don’t have to go and get cut-rate deals to build the border fence,” Hunter said. U.S. pipe makers can “easily” supply the products necessary for the fence, Hunter insisted.

He also criticized DHS for only building 5.11 miles of the “double-fence” required by his bill.

The lawmakers said they did not know if there was a bidding process that led to the use of the Chinese goods. They also said they were unaware if any U.S. companies bid for contracts related to the fence but were turned down.

Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) said he was concerned about the safety of Chinese steel. However, when pressed, he and other lawmakers could not cite any specific safety problems that might result from the use of foreign pipe in a fence. Visclosky did note other safety issues that have recently come up with toys from China, while English said the use of Chinese inputs in U.S. infrastructure prompts broader concerns.

Members of the congressional steel caucus have invited DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to testify at an Oct. 31 hearing on possible safety issues regarding Chinese pipe.

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Is this somebody's idea of a joke? The irony here just left the building.

This sure reinforces my confidence in the DHS, which seems to have embraced the new global economy with gusto. Jesus fucking Christ.

[Mikey]

I've heard that the Chinese lack the capability to manufacture dependable steel pipe.

I'm expecting that the fence might just collapse if two Mexicans tried to climb the same section at the same time.




Prolly painted with lead paint, too.

[RadioFan]

Hopefully it will give the wetbacks who try to climb it lead poisoning.

Not to mention DHS employees erecting and repairing it.

[RadioFan]

Not to mention the American steel workers will Hispanic surnames. They must be illegal. We better get us some Wang steel. Plus, we'll save some money.

- HS

[RevLimiter]

Lawmakers blast DHS for building border fence with Chinese steel

House members allied with the domestic steel industry blasted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday for building a fence on the Mexican border with Chinese steel.

“By allowing the use of Chinese pipe [a type of steel], DHS is allowing the U.S. taxpayer to subsidize Chinese production at the expense of the American workers,” Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) said at a press conference. “This is completely unacceptable.”

“This is outrageous, it’s offensive and it’s unacceptable,” charged Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).

English displayed photos of a portion of the border fence from San Luis, Ariz., that shows pipes marked “China” holding the border fence in place. He said DHS’s Office of Congressional Affairs had indicated it had waived the so-called Buy American rules in order to use the Chinese pipe and tube. The rules normally require the use of U.S. steel in such projects.

The Office of Public Affairs referred questions to Customs Border Protection, which did not respond by press time.

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.), who authored a bill signed into law last year mandating 850 miles of fence along the border, said DHS should have gone to U.S. producers to procure any necessary steel or pipe.

“The Department of Homeland Security has, the last time I checked, $800 million cash on hand available to build the border fence. So they don’t have to go and get cut-rate deals to build the border fence,” Hunter said. U.S. pipe makers can “easily” supply the products necessary for the fence, Hunter insisted.

He also criticized DHS for only building 5.11 miles of the “double-fence” required by his bill.

The lawmakers said they did not know if there was a bidding process that led to the use of the Chinese goods. They also said they were unaware if any U.S. companies bid for contracts related to the fence but were turned down.

Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) said he was concerned about the safety of Chinese steel. However, when pressed, he and other lawmakers could not cite any specific safety problems that might result from the use of foreign pipe in a fence. Visclosky did note other safety issues that have recently come up with toys from China, while English said the use of Chinese inputs in U.S. infrastructure prompts broader concerns.

Members of the congressional steel caucus have invited DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to testify at an Oct. 31 hearing on possible safety issues regarding Chinese pipe.

---------------------

Is this somebody's idea of a joke? The irony here just left the building.

This sure reinforces my confidence in the DHS, which seems to have embraced the new global economy with gusto. Jesus fucking Christ.

I see absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.

Sin,
Ignorant Americans who insist on buying Japanese cars/trucks, especially the ones that are "made in America".

[Y2K]

American Steel?

I remember using that stuff 20+ years ago, Maybe they can find a big stockpile in some Antique Steelyard somewhere. It may be a bit rusty but it IS Made in the USA.

[Derron]

American Steel?

I remember using that stuff 20+ years ago, Maybe they can find a big stockpile in some Antique Steelyard somewhere. It may be a bit rusty but it IS Made in the USA.

The mensas posting here must not have much connections to manufacturing. There has not been American steel in years. It is all imported, along with cement and every other thing needed to "manufacture" something in the USA.

Component assembly anyone ??

The railroad took out a short line near the crib, and put all the connector plates and old rails in fucking containers and shipped it over to China.

[Mikey]

The mensas posting here must not have much connections to manufacturing. There has not been American steel in years. It is all imported, along with cement and every other thing needed to "manufacture" something in the USA.

I thought all the cement was made in Portland.

I'm surprised that Dinsdale doesn't know that the U&L is the cement capital of the world.

[RevLimiter]

Ignorant Americans who insist on buying Japanese cars/trucks, especially the ones that are "made in America".

Do you really want to revist how badly you got destroyed on that topic? Did somebody say something witty you wanted to use on another board? That's gotta be the only reason you would bring that up.

If only that were true.

Fuck off.

[PSUFAN]

KC Epson? bwaahaha

[War Wagon]

The mensas posting here must not have much connections to manufacturing. There has not been American steel in years. It is all imported, along with cement and every other thing needed to "manufacture" something in the USA.

Funny, and here I could've sworn that the 200,000 lbs of coil steel that rolls weekly into the plant where I work came from Indiana.

I guess these 15 steel processing plants must be figments of Doron's imagination.

[RevLimiter]

If only that were true.

Fuck off.

......................sigh...................................

Paul getting his ass whipped by everyone including the "little yellow man"

I starting to get the hang of the KC Epson's codespeak. Any time he demands proof of us catching him saying or doing something stupid or an actual denial of a beatdown is to be trasnlated as "yeah I did it. I copied it. I got my asshole used like a railroad tunnel on that one"

......................sigh...................................

You just don't get it do you R-Stalker?

First of all, that's KC IBM to you- Epson SUCKS. Second, just because you're one of the sheep whose opinion differs from mine DOES NOT MEAN that you're better or smarter than me. Once again, the next time you "get over" on me will be the 1st time. The mere FACT that you claim that I "got destroyed" on that topic is highly comical, because at the end of the day you know it and I know it- when you buy a Japanese car/truck, the MAJORITY of the money you spent on it goes right back to Japan. PERIOD. END OF STORY.

Prove me otherwise dipshit, or forever go fuck yourself.

[Dinsdale]

I guess these 15 steel processing plants must be figments of Doron's imagination.

Oh, it's worse -- Derron doesn't live too terribly far from one of the largest steel processing plants still running these days (Schnitzer Steel), and one of the largest producers of steel products on the planet (Esco). Massive operations.


I'll do you one better, Mikey -- Sure, everyone knows that Portland monopolized cement manufacture, but few know that state-of-the-art metallurgy was invented in a small suburb southeast of Portland , Damascus.

[fix]

The mensas posting here must not have much connections to manufacturing. There has not been American steel in years. It is all imported, along with cement and every other thing needed to "manufacture" something in the USA.

Funny, and here I could've sworn that the 200,000 lbs of coil steel that rolls weekly into the plant where I work came from Indiana.

I guess these 15 steel processing plants must be figments of Doron's imagination.

Not to mention U.S Steel.

United States Steel Corporation headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., manufactures a wide variety of steel sheet, tubular and tin products; coke, and taconite pellets; and has a worldwide annual raw steel capability of 26.8 million net tons. U. S. Steel's domestic primary steel operations are: Gary Works in Gary, Ind.; Great Lakes Works in Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; Mon Valley Works, which includes the Edgar Thomson and Irvin plants, near Pittsburgh and Fairless Works near Philadelphia, Pa.; Granite City Works in Granite City, Ill.; Fairfield Works near Birmingham, Ala.; Midwest Plant in Portage, Ind.; and East Chicago Tin in East Chicago, Ind. The company also operates two seamless tubular mills, Lorain Tubular Operations in Lorain, Ohio; and Fairfield Tubular Operations near Birmingham, Ala.
U. S. Steel produces coke at Clairton Works near Pittsburgh, at Gary Works and Granite City Works. On Northern Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range, U. S. Steel's iron ore mining and taconite pellet operations, Minnesota Taconite (Minntac) and Keewatin Taconite (Keetac), support the steelmaking effort, and its subsidiary ProCoil Company provides steel distribution and processing services.

But hey, those number of times I've been in more than one of those facilities over the years was probably just a figment on my imagination.

[War Wagon]

It would probably really blow Derron's mind if somebody posted a link to Alcoa's website.