GOP’s Rob Mercuri funded by groups pushing for foreign takeover of U.S. Steel

Pennsylvania House Rep. Rob Mercuri initially criticized the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by the Japanese-owned outfit Nippon Steel. He later accepted donations and endorsements from groups that support the deal.

Mercuri is the Republican nominee for the U.S. House race in Pennsylvania’s 17th district. The district includes parts of Alleghany County, where U.S. Steel has been based since 1901.  A 2023 analysis found the company provides more than 11,000 jobs in the area.

Mercuri will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris DeLuzio in November.

In December 2023, Nippon offered to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion. The news rattled much of Alleghany County which has suffered disproportionate job loss in the last decade compared to other parts of Pennsylvania. 

Mercuri expressed skepticism about the deal and baselessly claimed it was the product of the Biden’s administration’s efforts to fight climate change.

“U.S. Steel is a backbone of W. PA & should remain HQ’d right here,” Mecuri said. “Unfortunately, the out of touch & disastrous economic policies of the Climate Left, including Deluzio & Biden are driving businesses and jobs out of town; harming not only Pittsburgh’s steelworkers and regional manufacturing, but our national security interests as well.”

Mercuri’s apparent opposition to the deal put him out of step with many Republicans. In March, the conservative groups FreedomWorks and Americans for Tax Reform sent a letter Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in support of the Nippon acquisition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce published articles in support of the deal. 

In April, Mercuri’s campaign received a $5,000 donation from KochPAC. Both KochPAC and FreedomWorks are part of the Koch political network. That same month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Mercuri. He has also signed the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” from Americans for Tax Reform.

A Mecuri spokesperson provided the following statement in response to this article: “The decline and sale of U.S. Steel is a harbinger of the costly economic decline of manufacturing in Western PA due to the economic polices of Biden and Deluzio. We must change course to improve our economy and make Pennsylvania competitive once again, rekindling the competitive fires that built the Steel City.”

Mercuri’s campaign was explicitly asked where the candidate stood on the Nippon acquisition and if donations from groups supporting the acquisition would be returned. Answers to these questions were not provided. 

DeLuzio’s stance on the acquisition has been clearer.

“This is bad for folks in western Pennsylvania,” Deluzio told Newsnation in December 2023. “This feels like a gut punch to a community like mine that’s seen the same story play out time and time again. Your hard work doesn’t matter if it’s in the way of profit.”

Last month, the United Steelworkers (USW) union, which represents employees at U.S. Steel, also came out against the acquisition. Nippon had been in talks with USW to try to win the union’s support. Ultimately, USW indicated that Nippon had not been negotiating in good faith.

Pennsylvania Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman have also been critical of the the deal.