{"id":2613869,"date":"2026-06-14T05:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/howard-lutnick-on-the-anniversary-of-the-deal-that-saved-u-s-steel\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T05:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:36:02","slug":"howard-lutnick-on-the-anniversary-of-the-deal-that-saved-u-s-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/howard-lutnick-on-the-anniversary-of-the-deal-that-saved-u-s-steel\/","title":{"rendered":"Howard Lutnick on the anniversary of the deal that saved U.S. Steel"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhoward-lutnick-on-the-anniversary-of-the-deal-that-saved-u-s-steel%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613869&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BRADDOCK, Pa.<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0In American politics, when negotiating hard deals that involve high risk and the livelihoods of all involved while requiring great compromise, pain is usually shared unequally. The rarest outcome is for all involved to be grateful.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4607328\/doj-greenlights-warner-bros-paramount-merger\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ greenlights Warner Bros. merger with Paramount<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4606438\/progressives-should-thank-tech-billionaires-creating-millions-jobs-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Progressives should thank tech billionaires for creating jobs: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/4604338\/opec-cuts-oil-demand-forecast-strait-hormuz-closure\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>OPEC cuts oil demand forecast again as Strait of Hormuz closure continues<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet that was the overwhelming sentiment expressed by the local union leaders, steel workers, plant managers, and U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt when Commerce Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/howard-lutnick\/\">Howard Lutnick<\/a> visited the iconic U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works, one year after the hard-fought <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3421100\/trump-makes-deal-of-a-lifetime-for-us-steel\/\">Nippon deal<\/a> that included a heavy lift from President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before Lutnick and Burritt took to the microphone after an hourlong tour of Edgar Thomson, it was evident that every man and woman who ran the plant operations at the Mon Valley Work sites were thankful not only that the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/columnists\/3868358\/trump-triumph-japan-began-at-steel-mill-pennsylvania\/\">controversial deal<\/a> was done, but that investments have already begun and increased one year later.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lutnick walked over the crowd of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steelworkers\/\">steelworkers<\/a> in their hard hats and bright orange fireproof protective gear, a dozen wide and a dozen deep, and shook hands with each one.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Steel President and CEO David B. Burritt, left, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at the company\u2019s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania, June 8, 2026. (Justin Merriman \/ for The Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Directly behind them were acres of buildings: two blast furnaces, which convert raw iron ore, coke, and limestone into molten iron; a continuous caster, where the molten steel is solidified into large slabs; and a variety of support structures, including cast houses, boiler houses, blowing engine houses, and vast piping networks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the hills across the river Kennywood Park, with the Phantom\u2019s Revenge, its tubular tracks and structure made of steel, plunges hundreds of feet down into a ravine overlooking the mill. Burritt introduced Lutnick, telling the secretary as well as the workers that the investments here at this plant were going to be double what was originally estimated to replace the equipment that rolls steel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey said this day would never come, and yet here we are, recognizing the people that made it happen,\u201d Buritt said with a broad smile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou guys, you don\u2019t just work in any industry. Steel is not just any product. Steel is the backbone of our nation,\u201d Lutnick said. \u201cA country that can\u2019t make its own steel can\u2019t build its own bridges, can\u2019t make its own ships, can\u2019t do pipelines, can\u2019t do railcars, can\u2019t do factories, can\u2019t do power plants, can\u2019t even make a car, can\u2019t even make a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks at during a tour of U.S. Steel\u2019s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Justin Merriman \/ for The Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After being greeted with a traditional Pittsburgh cookie table, Lutnick donned orange protective gear, steel-toed boots, heavy gloves (those railings get really hot on a 100-plus degree shop floor), protective glasses, and earplugs. He joined Burritt, plant leadership, and steelworkers to see firsthand what makes Edgar Thomson so important not just to the workers, but also to the entire country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Steel Mon Valley works consists of three plants: the Clairton Coke Works, Irvin Works, both of which are upriver, and Edgar Thomson Works, which has been in operation since Andrew Carnegie first named it after the head of the Pennsylvania Railroad 150 years ago to curry favor for his rail business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is made here affects something, if not everything, in our daily lives. Every day, this facility puts out 500 miles of steel. Every 50 days, its output circles the earth. About six times a year, just this one of three facilities here in Pittsburgh is circling the earth in steel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their main customers are\u00a0automotive, construction, and appliance. If you have a Maytag or a Whirlpool anywhere in your house, there is a high probability that that steel came from Mon Valley Works.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their materials are also used in construction: steel studs for houses and buildings, sheeting for roofs, guardrails, anything that\u2019s galvanized for construction or other applications. When the new hot mill is completed, its output capabilities make all the products to meet the needs of America.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick meeting with U.S. Steel workers, June 8, 2026. (Justin Merriman \/ for The Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plant covers over 30 acres. We walked over half a mile within the plant, where at one point the temperature soared over 100 degrees as we watched the liquid iron come out of the furnace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s a sense of relief and disbelief that the deal happened. Everyone is grateful that not just an industry was saved instead of disappearing like so many other industries have, but also communities, schools, churches, and a way of life. They are still all amazed that it happened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sitting in the office of one of the plant managers for an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> after the tour, Lutnick was reflective when asked about the impact this deal has had on so many lives, both directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The commerce secretary said that, when you look around at all of those faces, it makes you feel that the administration was successful at helping American steelworkers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump understood that the American economy is so magnetic that the world wants to come to America, that if you protect it, you can protect both American steel companies and the steel workers union,\u201d Lutnick said. \u201cThat you can really do both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The process was so outside of the norm of American politics that Lutnick said he had the honor of getting phone calls from United Auto Workers Union, who told him, \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m calling a Republican administration to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump and I understand that you can do both. That by strengthening American steel, you\u2019re strengthening American steel workers, and you\u2019re strengthening all American companies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also said it was rewarding because he understands that steel union jobs are great jobs for families, that don\u2019t allow foreigners to hollow out our communities and our businesses, but protect and defend them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President and CEO of U.S. Steel David B. Burritt  speaks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick prior to a tour at U.S. Steel\u2019s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock on Monday, June 8, 2026. (Justin Merriman \/ for The Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is the job of the administration,\u201d Lutnick added. \u201cSo I walk into that room and I feel the happiness of the people around me, it really defines that the president\u2019s policies and my execution of those policies are winning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cgolden share\u201d was really what made the deal work for the Trump administration, Lutnick told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat that basically says is you [Nippon], you can\u2019t renege on anything you\u2019ve promised America that we wanted. You will live to the promises you made to us,\u201d he said. \u201cYou will invest the $10.8 billion, you will invest the $14 billion, you won\u2019t close plants, you won\u2019t cut people, and you will live up to what you said, and you can\u2019t go off of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t ask for, \u2018Oh, we want to run the company, this, that.\u00a0No, none of that stuff. It\u2019s literally \u2018Live up to what you promised America,\u2019\u201d Lutnick added. \u201cWhen you made this deal, you promised us you would make certain investments, you promised us certain employment, all these mission things that were really important to America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/columnists\/4539802\/pittsburgh-is-just-built-different\/\"><strong>PITTSBURGH IS JUST BUILT DIFFERENT\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key for the White House was to get the investment right, to set a tariff policy that protected America so that Nippon couldn\u2019t subsidize or otherwise break its promises. The administration treated it like a Wall Street deal, not a government deal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a tour at U.S. Steel\u2019s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock on Monday, June 8, 2026. <br \/>(Justin Merriman \/ for The Washington Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One year later, Lutnick said Nippon has lived up to its end of the deal. In a region that has only experienced subtraction since the mills started closing in 1977, addition is a welcome and sometimes foreign concept,\u00a0especially in the form of additional investment. Nippon initially said it planned to invest\u00a0$1 billion here when the deal was announced. On June 9, it was announced that the amount had increased to $2.5 billion for the \u201cexpanded scope of improvements\u201d planned for Edgar Thomson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Salena Zito (@ZitoSelana) is<\/em> <em>a reporter and columnist for the <\/em>Washington Examiner <em>and author of the <\/em>New York Times <em>bestseller <\/em>Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America\u2019s Heartland<em>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BRADDOCK, Pa. \u2014\u00a0In American politics, when negotiating hard deals that involve high risk and the livelihoods of all involved while requiring great compromise, pain is usually shared unequally. The rarest outcome is for all involved to be grateful. Recommended Stories DOJ greenlights Warner Bros. merger with Paramount Progressives should thank tech billionaires for creating jobs:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2942,"featured_media":2613870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feat.PromisesKept1.061726.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Feat.PromisesKept1.061726.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2942"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}