Op-eds

By Mike Bless, President and Chief Executive Officer, Century Aluminum Wednesday, Kentucky will welcome U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to usher in a new era of economic growth for the commonwealth. Century Aluminum, America’s largest primary aluminum producer, will host a ceremonial restart as we increase production at the Hawesville, Kentucky primary aluminum smelter by 60 percent. That will...

By Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Senator Chris Coons The African continent offers real opportunities thanks to some of the world's fastest growing economies and an expanding labor force. As a Cabinet Secretary and a Democratic Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively, we agree that the United States must do more to present our African partners with better alternatives to...

Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated investigations to determine whether imports of steel and aluminum threaten to impair the United States' national security. After several months studying the impact of imports on the steel and aluminum industries, it was clear that their future was at risk. We concluded that, to preserve America's ability to produce the metals required to ensure...

With the start of the 2018 hurricane season, timely and reliable information is critical to guide effective operations for emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Agencies across the U.S. Department of Commerce, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Census Bureau, the Economic Development Administration, the National Telecommunications and Information...

The first man on the moon held an American flag. In the not-too-distant future, astronauts on the moon may be holding fuel pumps. The future for American commercial space activity is bright. Space entrepreneurs are already planning travel to Mars, and they are looking to the moon as the perfect location for a way station to refuel and restock Mars-bound rockets. As much as this sounds like the...

As Americans filed their taxes this spring, they wrestled for the last time with a system that for decades plundered their paychecks and made American businesses uncompetitive. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law by President Trump in December is already benefiting American families, workers, and companies. The United States will continue to reap the economic benefits generated by tax reform...

As the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations unfold, there is a lot of loose talk being exchanged about automobile parts going back and forth among the United States, Canada and Mexico. NAFTA supporters assert that the U.S. content in cars assembled in Canada and Mexico is particularly high and that therefore our $70 billion-plus trade deficits with our NAFTA partners are not worrisome....

The Trump administration last week celebrated the workers and businesses that make this country great. The purpose of “Made in America Week” was to recognize that, when given a fair chance to compete, Americans can make and sell some of the best, most innovative products in the world. Unfortunately, many governments across the globe have pursued policies that put American workers and businesses at...