NEW MADRID, MO – Congressman Jason Smith co-hosted a public event in the bootheel today where he made a major jobs announcement. Along with Governor Greitens and State Rep. Done Rone, Smith formally announced the opening of Magnitude 7 Metals in New Madrid and with it, an estimated 450 new jobs for the area.

 

“In my meetings with President Trump and my work with his Administration, I have noticed a major change… the war on rural America is over,” said Congressman Smith. “We’ve passed major tax cuts, repealed regulations at historic rates and lowered energy prices. Now, with the President’s commitment to new, fairer trade deals, we are bringing back the domestic aluminum and steel industries and with it, jobs. Over the last several months we have set the stage for the comeback of the domestic aluminum industry – we removed over $8 billion worth of regulatory costs on the economy which were holding back investments and we slashed the highest business tax rate found anywhere in the industrialized world. We made the changes needed to our economy to ensure employers felt welcomed and wanted to hire in rural America…not fearful of the next tax, the next regulation and the next penalty the government would hit them with,” continued Smith.

 

Smith is the only member of the Missouri Congressional Delegation on the powerful tax-writing committee in Congress, The Ways and Means Committee, and was instrumental in writing and passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Smith was also at the White House with President Trump twice last month to discuss fair trade and how to revive America’s aluminum and steel industries.

 

“Rural America is open for business. From Washington to Missouri, what we are announcing today is the result of years of hard work and a major change in the way employers and farmers are treated, said Congressman Smith. “We have successfully repealed harmful Obama-era rules and business-killing regulations, reduced the highest tax burden in the industrialized world, lowered energy prices and are once again negotiating fair deals to benefit the American worker.”

 

In addition to advocating for southeast Missouri in meetings with the President, Smith has a strong record of fighting for domestic aluminum production. In 2016, Smith led a bipartisan initiative that called for an investigation of factors affecting the global competitiveness of the U.S. aluminum industry, including overproduction and subsidies in other countries. Smith stood with President Trump in the Oval Office in 2017 to sign the order expediting the conclusions of that study which were subsequently released in February 2018 and showed the impact unfair foreign practices have had on the American aluminum industry. This week the White House announced the implementation of several measures to protect the domestic aluminum and steel worker from unfair trade practices of American competitors.

 

Congressman Smith concluded, “In 2012, we imported 66% of the aluminum we consumed, in 2016 that number was 90%. Over a similar period the number of U.S. Aluminum smelters went from 15 to 2 while China’s share of the global aluminum market soared from 10% to 55%...I called on the Obama Administration to investigate the actions and overproduction in China, they dragged their feet. Then we elected Donald Trump. Within his first few months, President Trump called me into office and demanded his Administration investigate and recommend how to fix the fact that China was cheating the American Aluminum worker. I know with a level and fair playing field, the domestic aluminum industry can be viable once again. Earlier this week, the White House gave us that chance. They imposed new protections for the American Aluminum and Steel industries to ensure that when other countries cheat on trade, we will punch back, and punch back we did. As you can see today, there is no better place than right here in southern Missouri for a comeback of the domestic aluminum industry,” said Congressman Smith. “Governor Greitens has been instrumental in the process as well. Together, we have created an environment where folks want to invest.”

 

“After the closure of the aluminum smelter in Marston, hundreds of people worked with us to send a clear message: They don’t want welfare. They want to work. They want to bring back American jobs,” said Governor Eric Greitens. “We all fought hard to pass a bill to help us compete for these jobs and advanced manufacturing jobs around the state. Today, jobs are coming back and good people will be going back to work. This announcement is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people. I’m proud to welcome Magnitude 7 Metals to Marston, so they can bring quality jobs back to this region.”

 

Smith also worked with State Rep. Don Rone who represents New Madrid.

 

“The high paying jobs that will be created by reopening this facility will bring hope and stability to families across who for too long have been out of work,” Missouri Representative Don Rone said. “The effects of this news will ripple not only throughout our region, but across generations.”