Ring of Fire: Forge the next generation of American steel

The most famous landmark in Mississippi County, where I am proud to call home, is the five-room farmhouse where country singer Johnny Cash grew up. In addition to being a monument to the “Man in Black,” it’s also a symbol of the hard times that many families experienced in the rural South — and overcame.

These days, there are new landmarks in Mississippi County including the massive steel mills that have grown up along the river. Owned by giants like U.S. Steel, they are symbols of the prosperity that has come to our county, thanks to the vision and hard work of leaders who came before us. Now it’s up to a new generation of leaders to keep the prosperity going by supporting a proposed partnership between U.S. Steel and the Nippon Steel Corporation.

This deal would be yet another building block in our state’s strong economic record under Governor Sanders’ leadership. Last quarter, Arkansas had the strongest GDP growth and personal income growth in the nation. This landmark investment deal in an important sector such as steel would bring even more new capital, technology and jobs to Arkansas and keep building our economic momentum.

For example, the influx of investment would likely allow the company’s Big River Steel Works in my home county to expand production. It would be able to create more high-quality electrical steel sheets for automaking and transformers, as well as steel plates for shipbuilding. This could help further reduce American reliance on foreign steel and trim U.S. trade imbalances. In addition to securing existing steelworker jobs, the investment likely would create hundreds of new jobs, including in construction.

Elsewhere around the country, the deal would help put other older U.S. Steel plants on stronger footing. More broadly, it would open a path to the new golden age of American industry that President Donald Trump has promised, aiding automakers and other industrial consumers. U.S. Steel currently ranks No. 24 among global steel producers. It will rocket up into the No. 3 spot worldwide if this deal goes through.

On the other hand, approving the U.S. Steel partnership with Nippon Steel would mean tens of billions in new investment in the United States. It would mean continued American ownership and management through strong America First trade protections. It would mean new security for U.S. Steel workers and increased employment. Above all, it would mean creating a meaningful counterweight to Chinese dominance in steel, by making U.S. Steel part of the new third largest steel producer in the world.

Strong leaders always find opportunity in the problems they face. That’s been true in Washington, D.C. and here in Mississippi County. From 1932 to 1960, Mississippi County could claim the title of largest cotton producer in the United States. By the late 1980s, Mississippi County’s economy faced big problems. Cotton production had shrunk and the county’s other big industry — textile manufacturing — was fleeing offshore. But county leaders found a self-sufficient strategy to turn their economy around.

These days, Mississippi County proudly claims the title as the largest steel-producing county in the United States, thanks to the new presence of several very large companies there, like Nucor and U.S. Steel. This astonishing turnaround was no accident. It materialized when smart planning met sheer necessity. The result of that vision and self-sacrifice has been one of the great industrial success stories in the country. It’s now time to honor that legacy and renew it again for decades to come.

Johnny Cash lived through some hard times as a youngster in Mississippi County. That’s reflected in some of his early classic songs like “Pickin’ Time” and “Five Feet High and Rising.” These days, there’s music of a different kind coming from the big steel mills that are humming beside the river — and paying many of our hardworking young men and women more than $100,000 a year to support their families and achieve their own American dream.

I hope President Trump will keep that music going by approving this deal.

Editor’s note: Rep. Joey Carr, R-Blytheville, represents House District 34, which includes a portion of Mississippi County. The opinions expressed are those of the author.