U.S. Senators Young, Smith introduce legislation to strengthen trade laws, protect American workers

Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act, legislation to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and ensure they remain effective tools to fight against unfair trade practices and protect American workers.

The bill would improve the U.S. trade remedy system and respond to repeat offenders and serial cheaters, leveling the playing field for American workers. The bill also responds to China’s unfair trade practices, specifically its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which provides subsidies to China-based or China-operated companies doing business in countries outside of China. 

“Our bill will protect American jobs and combat China’s unfair trade practices,” said Senator Young. “China has distorted the free market by dumping undervalued products and subsidizing industries, actions designed to harm American businesses and workers. This legislation will help level the playing field to ensure the United States can outcompete the Chinese Communist Party.”

“For too long, foreign competitors like China have engaged in unfair trade practices that have undermined domestic industry and threatened our national security,” said Senator Smith. “This legislation provides more tools for the U.S. to stop illegal dumping and subsidies that have made it impossible for domestic producers and workers to compete. I’m glad to introduce the Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0 with Senator Young to protect American workers like Minnesota’s Iron Rangers.”

In addition to Senators Young and Smith, U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jon Fetterman (D-Pa.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) also co-sponsored the legislation.

The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act was introduced in 2023 by Young and former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) to update the original Leveling the Playing Field Act, which became law in 2015 and addressed persistent and evolving threats from unfair competition.

The Young-Smith legislation builds on the success of the original Leveling the Playing Field Act, which led to key wins for Midwest companies. The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act would update U.S. trade remedy laws to establish the new concept of “successive investigations,” which would improve the U.S. trade remedy system’s efforts to curb circumvention efforts from bad actors designed to undercut our domestic industries and increase market share.

American companies are on the receiving end of China’s increasingly predatory economic behavior. In recent years, China’s unfair trade practices have culminated in grave economic consequences that affect American workers. For example, Chinese-supported companies move portions of production to other countries to circumvent American duties, a practice known as “country hopping.” China’s BRI also unfairly subsidizes products made in other countries, rather than just in China. In addition to competing with these unfair trade practices, American companies have to contend with long lead times before the Department of Commerce initiates a new anti-circumvention inquiry.

Around half of the unfair trade cases are in the steel industry. However, these unfair trade cases also affect industries that make engines, furniture, hardwood plywood, pipes and tubes, wood moldings, magnesium, paper, shrimp, carrier bags, kitchen cabinets, quartz countertops, tires, and many others.

The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act pushes back against China’s anti-free market practices by providing the Department of Commerce with more tools to stop circumvention tactics. These tools include:

• Establishing the concept of “successive investigations” under antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CD) laws. The new AD/CV investigations would improve the effectiveness of the trade remedy law to combat repeat offenders by making it easier for petitioners to bring new cases when production moves to another country;
• Expediting timelines for successive investigations and creating new factors for the International Trade Commission to consider about the relationship between recently completed trade cases and successive trade cases for the same imported product;
• Providing the Department of Commerce the authority to apply CVD law to subsidies provided by a government to a company operating in a different country;
• Imposing statutory requirements for anti-circumvention inquiries to clarify the process and timeline; and
• Specifying deadlines for preliminary and final determinations.

The bill is supported by the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Steel Manufacturers Association, and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association.

“The American steel industry has faced repeated surges of unfairly traded steel from many countries and regions. U.S. trade remedy laws are the only means by which the American steel industry can mitigate the harm from these unfairly traded imports and help prevent plants from being idled and workers from losing their jobs. By strengthening the effectiveness of our trade laws, this bill will help give the American public confidence that our government has every tool available to fight for a level playing field for the American steel industry and our workers. We appreciate the steadfast leadership of Sens. Young and Smith in support of American steel,” said President and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute Kevin Dempsey.

“The Steel Manufacturers Association thanks Senator Young and Senator Smith for their introduction of the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act. China is actively working to depresses or eliminate domestic manufacturing in the U.S. The antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) laws are the first line of defense for domestic industries fighting against unfair trade. However, after more than 30 years without major revisions, they are in dire need of updating. American workers and industry have borne the brunt of these shortcomings in U.S. trade law enforcement. The Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act does just that, it provides our government new tools to fight against unfair trade and levels the playing field for American workers and industry. We look forward to working with Senator Young and Senator Smith to support this vital legislation and American jobs,” said President of the Steel Manufacturers Association Philip K. Bell.

"On behalf of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) and the companies and workers making kitchen cabinets in Indiana, we would like to thank Senator Young and his colleagues for introducing the ‘Leveling the Playing Field Act of 2025’ - legislation that will not only strengthen the U.S. unfair trade laws, but provide a much needed level playing field for our industry to compete in,” said CEO of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Betsy Natz. “Our association has over 250,000 employees working at 300 member companies across the country and over the past five years the industry was hit hard by unfairly traded imports of kitchen cabinets from China. These laws have ensured that our industry can compete now and into the future.  That is why today we stand in support of this legislation and pledge to work with the Senator to advance this bill in the 119th Congress."

U.S. Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24) and Terri Sewell (D-AL-7) are leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.