By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Brian Deese, a key player in President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election bid, said on Wednesday that Nippon Steel’s proposed purchase of U.S. Steel was concerning and that the administration should look closely at it.
Deese, who ran the White House National Economic Council for the first two years of Biden’s term and helped set the administration’s economic priorities, is now serving as a “surrogate” on the President’s re-election campaign.
He is one of a group of politicians and former and current officials tapped to speak on the President’s policies and views ahead of the November 2024 election.
However, Deese said he was speaking in a personal capacity and would let the White House address the issue of the Japanese company’s acquisition of U.S. Steel separately.
“It is concerning and the announcement raises a set of issues that the administration should and likely will look closely at,” he said.
“The particulars of this announcement do raise real, legitimate concerns that do need to be looked closely at.”
Nippon said on Monday it would buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion in cash, prevailing over rivals such as Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal and Nucor in an auction for the 122-year-old steelmaker.
The White House has been tight-lipped about the deal, saying only that there could be a regulatory review.
But the deal has drawn sharp criticism from U.S. lawmakers and the United Steelworkers union, which was not notified ahead of the announcement, as appears to be required by its contact.
Deese, who spoke to reporters on a call hosted by the Biden campaign, added that the sale should be seen in the context of a historic manufacturing boom in the United States sparked by several pieces of legislation passed under Biden.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alexander Smith)
