Proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel

Last updated

Proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel
Nippon Steel - Logo.svg
US-Steel-Logo.svg
Initiator Nippon Steel
Target U.S. Steel
Type All-cash full acquisition
Cost US$14.9 billion (including debt)
InitiatedDecember 18, 2023
StatusPending regulatory approval

On December 18, 2023, Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC), the world's third largest steel producer, [1] entered a definitive agreement to purchase United States Steel Corporation (U.S. Steel) for $14.9 billion. [2] Under the terms of the deal, U.S. Steel would become a wholly owned subsidiary of NSC but retain its name and headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Japanese steelmaker also pledged to honor existing agreements with the United Steelworkers (USW) trade union. [3] The purchase would result in Nippon Steel becoming the second largest steel manufacturer in the world. [4]

Contents

The potential foreign ownership of U.S. Steel, which is widely considered an icon of American industry, [5] [6] has generated controversy in the U.S. [7] The White House, [8] lawmakers from both major parties, [9] [10] and the USW have criticized or opposed the deal due to concerns about its impact on workers, supply chains, and national security. [11] Conversely, the transaction has garnered support from various government officials, policy experts, and business analysts, who argue that it will help revitalize U.S. Steel and the country's declining steel industry and counter that Japan is a major economic partner and investor. [12] [13] [14]

On March 14, 2024, the Biden Administration announced its opposition to the planned acquisition, [15] echoing a statement by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged to block the deal "instantaneously" if elected president in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. [16] The deal is undergoing an antitrust review by the U.S. Department of Justice, [17] and a possible investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFUS). [18] Nippon Steel has subsequently delayed its timeline for closing the deal from the middle of 2024 towards the end of the year. [19] In September 2024, it was revealed that the Biden Administration was preparing to block Nippon's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel. [20]

Background

U.S. Steel, formed by J. P. Morgan's merger of Carnegie Steel with other steel producers, was once the largest company in the United States. [21] The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker had held the record for the largest initial public offering of any company in history—becoming the first billion-dollar company—and was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on its first day of public trading on the New York Stock Exchange, April 1, 1900. [22] In 1902, after its first full year of operation, U.S. Steel made 67 percent of all the steel produced in the United States, [23] and was widely seen as a symbol of American industrial prowess.

By the time the proposed acquisition was announced, U.S. Steel had been declining for decades. Following the steel crisis of the 1970s, the American steel industry declined precipitously; U.S. Steel had to close its seven least efficient plants and would not profitably export steel until 1989. [24] The company was dropped from the Dow Jones the following year, [25] and is today the smallest of the three major American steel producers; once the largest steelmaker in history, it ranks 27th in steel production worldwide.

2023 bidding war

In August 2023, U.S. Steel became the target of a bidding war. [25] Cleveland-Cliffs was one of the first companies to make a bid, offering $7.8 billion to acquire the company. Cliffs proposed that it would split the deal by $17.50 in cash and just over one share's worth of Cliffs stock, which Cleveland-Cliffs presented as being worth $35 per share. The United Steelworkers (USW) union, which maintains a collective bargaining agreement with the company, endorsed Cliffs' offer as the "best strategic partner", as phrased by USW president David McCall. [26] U.S. Steel ultimately declined the deal, suggesting that Cliffs was attempting to prevent the company from conducting due diligence. [27] This offer was also strongly opposed by lobbyists for major automakers including Toyota and General Motors, who argued that the new company, if the deal were to go through, would monopolize steel frames used in new cars and increase automaker costs. [28]

Nucor, the largest steelmaker in the U.S. at the time of the deal with NSC, also was considered to be a potential suitor for U.S. Steel. A week prior to the NSC deal being announced, a corporate jet owned by U.S. Steel was spotted in Nucor's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, by Don Bilson, a corporate analyst for Gordon Haskett. The news caused the Pittsburgh steelmaker's stock to soar, though no comment from either Nucor nor U.S. Steel was provided on the matter. [29]

Smaller and less significant bids additionally came from other companies. Luxembourg's ArcelorMittal and Canada's Stelco (formerly a U.S. Steel subsidiary) also placed bids for the Pittsburgh steelmaker, as did a later-withdrawn bid by the privately-owned Esmark. [30]

Deal

On December 18, 2023, via a joint press conference from NSC's headquarters in Tokyo and U.S. Steel's headquarters in Pittsburgh, the companies announced that NSC would buy U.S. Steel for $55 per share at a 40% premium compared to the company's then-stock value. Additionally, the companies stated that U.S. Steel's headquarters as a subsidiary of Nippon Steel would remain in Pittsburgh, and that all existing collective bargaining and union agreements would be honored by NSC. [31] The agreement included a clause requiring NSC to pay U.S. Steel a breakup fee of $565 million in the event that regulators block the acquisition. [32]

According to the press release published to U.S. Steel's investor website, Citigroup is the financial advisor to NSC, with Ropes & Gray LLP serving as the legal advisor; U.S. Steel's financial advisors are Goldman Sachs, Evercore and Barclays, with Milbank LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz serving as legal advisors. [33]

In March 2024, Nippon Steel Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori, who serves as key negotiator on the deal, stated that the company would move its existing U.S. headquarters from Houston to Pittsburgh in order to further secure the deal. [34] In September 2024, it reported that the Biden administration was close to blocking the proposed acquisition, citing national security concerns. [35]

Timeframe

In an earnings call on the day the deal was announced, U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt indicated to shareholders that the company anticipated the deal would be completed by the spring or summer of 2024. On January 11, 2024, Bloomberg News reported that unnamed insiders expect the dealmaking process to extend into late 2024 or 2025 as a result of regulatory scrutiny. Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto stated in a briefing that he anticipates the deal will be finalized before the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. [36]

U.S. Steel shareholders approved the deal in April 2024, with over 98% voting in favor. [37] The following month, both companies announced that the proposed transaction had received all applicable regulatory approvals outside the U.S., including from the regulatory authorities of Mexico, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. [38]

Political reaction

Biden administration

On December 21, 2023, Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council at the White House, indicated that President Joe Biden believes the proposed acquisition should be scrutinized. Brainard stated that Biden believes that the acquisition of an "iconic American-owned company by a foreign entity — even one from a close ally — appears to deserve serious scrutiny", citing potential national security and supply chain resiliency concerns.

Brainard indicated that the proposed acquisition would receive scrutiny from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency committee chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury. [8] CFIUS has the power to approve, block, or amend the deal on national security grounds, as well as the ability to give President Biden final decision-making authority. [36] Once CIFUS formally opens an investigation, it has 90 days to make a recommendation; the president then has 15 days to act upon it. [7]

On March 14, 2024, President Biden declared that U.S. Steel must remain American-owned, stating the proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel would pose a risk to national security and that he would use U.S. regulatory authorities to scuttle the deal. [39] The following month, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an in-depth antitrust investigation into the planned acquisition. [40]

It is speculated that U.S. regulators may grant conditional approval to the deal if the firm makes changes to the management structure or ensures senior personnel are U.S. nationals; an advisor to President Biden stated that such a policy had been "settled" and that if the deal is to include foreign partners it would need a "different approach", declining to elaborate. [41]

Japan

The Japanese government has reportedly sought to distance itself from the deal, stating it is a private commercial matter. During a state visit to the U.S., Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed hope that discussions would "unfold in directions that would be positive for both sides". [42]

Japan changed its approach after prime minister Shigeru Ishiba took office in 2024. He urged the outgoing Biden administration to approve the acquisition in light of the ties between the two countries. President-elect Donald Trump had vowed to block the deal. [43]

Members of Congress

The proposed acquisition became subject to condemnation from both Democratic and Republican politicians. Republican U.S. Senators J. D. Vance of Ohio, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Marco Rubio of Florida indicated their opposition in a letter addressed to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. In the letter, they argued that enabling foreign companies to acquire crucial parts of American infrastructure would allow acquiring companies to avoid trade protections.

Separately, Ohio's other senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, condemned NSC's acquisition due to its apparent neglect of union voices and how any potential sale of U.S. Steel should give union leaders a seat at the table; he further endorsed a sale to Cleveland-Cliffs over NSC due to union endorsement. Brown as later joined by Pennsylvania Democratic senator John Fetterman, who stated that U.S. Steel "have sold themselves to a foreign nation and company". [44] Retiring Democratic senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia also attacked the sale to NSC, echoing the three Republicans' national security concerns. [9] In April 2024, Brown further pressed the White House to review Nippon Steel's ties to China; the Japanese steelmaker responded that its Chinese operations represented less than 5% of its total capacity. [45]

Lobbying efforts

In January 2024, both parties to the transaction hired noted lobbyists to help navigate scrutiny of the proposed acquisition: Nippon Steel enlisted Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Akin Gump), including former Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Filemon Vela Jr. (D-TX), while U.S. Steel hired K&L Gates and Hogan Lovells, including former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN). [46] [47] The same month, Nippon Steel President Hashimoto and Vice President Mori published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining the company's plan to grow U.S. Steel. [48] Both companies have also launched a dedicated website to promote the deal as beneficial to the U.S. and various stakeholders. [49]

Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori has made several trips to the U.S. to meet with political and business leaders in Washington, D.C., as well as community leaders in U.S. Steel's home state of Pennsylvania, to win support for the deal. [50] [51]

Other reactions

Labor unions

Despite the promise made by NSC to honor all active collective bargaining agreements, the United Steelworkers (USW) labor union starkly criticized the deal; unions previously preferred that Cleveland-Cliffs take over the steelmaker. The USW stated that its contract with U.S. Steel "requires any prospective buyer to agree to a new labor deal before a sale can be finalized", with union president David McCall further blasting the sale as "greedy". [10] In March 2024, USW International President David McCall would publicly praise President Biden's decision to keep U.S. Steel "domestically owned and operated" claiming that Biden "has our backs" and that the decision to oppose the planned acquisition by Nippon Steel "should end the debate." [52]

Policy institutes

Various think tanks and research organizations support the transaction. Research fellow Joel Griffith of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for economic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, argued that Nippon Steel's purchase of the long-declining and "shrunken" U.S. Steel would give the "former behemoth with an infusion of cash, technology, and vision" and concluded that "[b]locking this acquisition will result in losses to shareholders, workers, and our economy. [53] Griffith also contended that many opponents to the deal have wrongly fixated on Nippon Steel's foreign origins, noting that Japan is a major U.S. ally, the leading source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the U.S., and the source of many American jobs through other private companies active in the country. [53] These are arguments have also been made by Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the libertarian Cato Institute, [54] economist Michael R. Strain of the center-right American Enterprise Institute, [55] and fellows Paul Sracic and William Chou of the Hudson Institute. [56]

Echoing the above, the Council on Foreign Relations adds that the Biden administration's stance against the deal "raises questions about Washington’s commitment to allies and its openness to foreign investment". [57]

Business organizations

A thirteen-page report by the pro-business Committee to Unleash Prosperity: "The deal offer from Nippon Steel provides an unprecedented premium to U.S. Steel shareholders, bolstering the company’s financial health and potential for growth. Moreover, the infusion of capital and technological advancements promised by Nippon Steel can rejuvenate U.S. Steel’s operations, enhancing productivity and competitiveness". [58]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Steel</span> American steel-producing company

U.S. Steel, or United States Steel Corporation, is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production facilities in the U.S. and Central Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale Canada</span> Wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian mining company Vale

Vale Canada Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian mining company Vale. Vale's nickel mining and metals division is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It produces nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, gold, and silver. Prior to being purchased by CVRD in 2006, Inco was the world's second largest producer of nickel, and the third largest mining company outside South Africa and Russia of platinum group metals. It was also a charter member of the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average formed on October 1, 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nucor</span> American steel corporation

Nucor Corporation is an American company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that produces steel and related products. It is the largest steel producer in the United States and the largest recycler of scrap in North America. Nucor is the 16th-largest steel producer in the world. Along with Commercial Metals Company, it is one of two primary suppliers of rebar used to reinforce concrete in buildings, bridges, roads, and infrastructure in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Murray</span> Scottish-born American labor leader (1886–1952)

Philip Murray was a Scottish-born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC), the first president of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), and the longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Steelworkers</span> Industrial labor union in North America

The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers represents workers in Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States. The United Steelworkers represent workers in a diverse range of industries, including primary and fabricated metals, paper, chemicals, glass, rubber, heavy-duty conveyor belting, tires, transportation, utilities, container industries, pharmaceuticals, call centers, museums, and health care.

Iorwith Wilbur Abel, better known as I. W. Abel, was an American labor leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArcelorMittal</span> Luxembourgish steel manufacturing corporation

ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City. It was formed in 2006 from the takeover and merger of Arcelor by Indian-owned Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal is the second largest steel producer in the world, with an annual crude steel production of 78 million metric tonnes as of 2022. It is ranked 197th in the 2022 Fortune Global 500 ranking of the world's largest corporations. It employs around 154,000 people and its market capital is $20 billion. The total value of company assets is estimated to be around $94 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland-Cliffs</span> Cleveland-based steelmaking company

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is an American steel manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. They specialize in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. The company was the world's 25th-largest steel producer and the third-largest in the United States in 2022. It is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America.

Lynn Russell Williams was a Canadian labour leader best remembered as the International President of the United Steelworkers union (USW) from 1983 until his retirement in 1994. Williams was the first Canadian to head a major North American industrial union.

George Becker was a steelworker, American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers (USW) from 1993 to 2001. During his tenure as president of the Steelworkers, Becker also served as a vice president of the AFL-CIO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Gerard</span> Canadian trade union leader

Leo W. Gerard is a retired steelworker and Canadian and American labour leader. He was elected president of the United Steelworkers (USW) in 2001, becoming the second Canadian to head the union. He served in the role until July 2019. He also served on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO.

Lloyd McBride was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983. He was on President Jimmy Carter's commission chaired by John G. Kemeny, President of Dartmouth College, to investigate the Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident in October of 1979.

David John McDonald was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1952 to 1965.

The steel strike of 1959 was a 116-day labor union strike by members of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) that idled the steel industry throughout the United States. The strike occurred over management's demand that the union give up a contract clause which limited management's ability to change the number of workers assigned to a task or to introduce new work rules or machinery which would result in reduced hours or numbers of employees. The strike's effects persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to invoke the back-to-work provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. The union sued to have the Act declared unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court upheld the law.

Bernard Kleiman (1928-2006) was an American lawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Bloom</span> American government official (born 1955)

Ron Bloom is an American economic advisor who served as a senior official in the Obama Administration from February 2009 to August 2011. This included working as the Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy between February 2011 and August 2011, in the Department of the Treasury as a senior advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury, as a member of the President's Task Force on the Automotive Industry, and as senior counselor to the president for manufacturing policy. From 1996 to 2008, Bloom served as special assistant to the president of the United Steelworkers. Bloom also worked for the investment banking firm Lazard on two occasions, the second as Vice Chairman, U.S Investment Banking. Bloom is the vice chair and a managing partner of Brookfield Asset Management and served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nippon Steel</span> Japanese steelmaker

Nippon Steel Corporation is Japan's largest steelmaker, headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The company has four business segments, including steelmaking, engineering, chemicals, and system solutions. It is the largest producer of crude steel in Japan and the third largest in the world. The company is on the Forbes Global 2000 list, ranked 1971 in 2023. The company is the second incarnation of the Nippon Steel name, following the original Nippon Steel Corporation which was formed from the merger of Yamata Iron & Steel with Fuji Iron & Steel in 1950 and lasted until 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Burritt</span> American businessman

David Boyd Burritt is an American businessman and the CEO of U.S. Steel since May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate</span> Position in the American executive branch

The United States special presidential envoy for climate is a position in the Executive Office of the President of the United States with authority over energy policy and climate policy within the executive branch. It is currently held by John Podesta.

The 2021 Allegheny Technologies strike was a labor strike involving about 1,300 workers for metals manufacturing company Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI), all unionized with the United Steelworkers (USW). The strike began on March 30 and ended on July 13 with the ratification of a new labor contract. Strikers returned to work by July 19. According to the Northwest Labor Press, the strike was among the country's largest for 2021 by number of strikers involved.

References

  1. "Steel Production by Country 2023". Wisevoter. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  2. Delouya, Samantha (December 19, 2023). "These all-American brands aren't actually American | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  3. Burns, Tobias (December 19, 2023). "Lawmakers push to stop 'fundamentally troubling' sale of US Steel". The Hill. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  4. Tan, Eli (December 18, 2023). "U.S. Steel will be acquired by Japan's Nippon in $14.1 billion deal". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  5. Egan, Matt (March 14, 2024). "Biden says it's 'vital' US Steel remain American owned and operated | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  6. "Editorial: Loss of U.S. Steel stings, but Nippon may be just the right suitor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "The row over US Steel shows the new meaning of national security". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Biden believes U.S. Steel sale to Japanese company warrants 'serious scrutiny,' White House says". AP News. December 21, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Egan, Matt; Isidore, Chris (December 19, 2023). "Growing bipartisan opposition to US Steel purchase by Japanese might not be enough to block deal | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Bomey, Nathan (December 18, 2023). "United Steelworkers union blasts $15B U.S. Steel-Nippon deal". Axios .
  11. "USW Slams Nippon Plan to Acquire USS". United Steelworkers. December 18, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  12. "U.S. Chamber Warns Against Politicizing NSC Acquisition of U.S. Steel". www.uschamber.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  13. "Nippon Steel's Acquisition of U.S. Steel Would Serve U.S. Interests". thediplomat.com. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  14. Griffith, Joel. "Nippon Acquisition of U.S. Steel". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  15. Egan, Matt (March 14, 2024). "Biden says it's 'vital' US Steel remain American owned and operated". CNN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  16. Nippon Steel faces bipartisan effort to torpedo U.S. Steel deal | The Asahi Shimbun
  17. "Sale of US Steel kicks up a political storm, but Pittsburgh isn't Steeltown USA anymore". ABC News. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  18. Rappeport, Alan (May 3, 2024). "Furor Over U.S. Steel Bid Puts Secretive Government Panel In Spotlight". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  19. "Nippon Steel delays closing of acquisition of US Steel until late this year after US DOJ request". AP News. May 3, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  20. Alexander, Peter; Wile, Rob; Yamamoto, Arata (September 5, 2024). "Biden preparing to block U.S. Steel sale to Japanese company". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  21. MJE (May 14, 2024). "Forging Ahead: Nippon Steel's $14.9 Billion Acquisition of U.S. Steel and its Impact on the Global Market – Michigan Journal of Economics" . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  22. "Dow Component U.S. Steel Was Biggest IPO of All Time". The Wall Street Journal . November 25, 1996.
  23. Boselovic, Len (February 25, 2001). "Steel Standing: U.S. Steel celebrates 100 years". PG News – Business & Technology. post-gazette.com – PG Publishing. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  24. Magnet, Myron. "THE RESURRECTION OF THE RUST BELT Deindustrialization? Economic violence? The heartland says humbug. When the going got tough, its industries shaped up. Now they're more competitive than ever". Fortune Archive. Fortune Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Isidore, Chris (December 18, 2023). "From powerhouse to afterthought: US Steel, once a symbol of America's economic might, set to be sold to Japanese rival | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  26. Flowers, Bianca (August 14, 2023). "Union leader: Cleveland-Cliffs is the best strategic buyer of U.S. Steel". Reuters .
  27. "US Steel rejects a $7.3 billion offer from rival Cleveland-Cliffs; considers alternatives". AP News. August 14, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  28. Shepardson, David (October 31, 2023). "Automakers oppose Cleveland-Cliffs push to buy U.S. Steel". Reuters .
  29. Root, Al. "U.S. Steel Stock Rises. Its Corporate Jet Was Spotted in Nucor's Hometown". barrons. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  30. Taylor, Brian (November 29, 2023). "US Steel bid rumors continue to swirl". www.recyclingtoday.com. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  31. Di, Xingsi (2023). "Insurmoutable Gap for Legal Personhood?- Metaphors for Robo-Advisors Acting as Fiduciaries". doi:10.2139/ssrn.4551315 . Retrieved January 9, 2024.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. Roumeliotis, Greg (January 24, 2024). "Cleveland-Cliffs argued its US Steel bid was worth more than Nippon Steel's, filing shows". Reuters.
  33. "Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) to Acquire U. S. Steel, Moving Forward Together as the 'Best Steelmaker with World-Leading Capabilities'". United States Steel Corporation. December 18, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  34. Nippon Steel pledges to move US HQ to US Steel's Pittsburgh | Reuters
  35. Mason, Jeff; Wile, Rob; Yamamoto, Arata (September 5, 2024). "Biden preparing to block U.S. Steel sale to Japanese company". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  36. 1 2 Wingrove, Josh; Jacobs, Jennifer; Deaux, Joe (January 11, 2024). "US Steel Review Expected to Last a Year or More, Defying Forecasts". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  37. "US Steel shareholders approve takeover by Japan's Nippon Steel opposed by Biden administration". Associated Press. April 12, 2024.
  38. US Steel, Nippon Steel receive all non-US approvals for merger Reuters (May 30, 2024)
  39. Hunnicutt, Trevor; Alper, Alexandra (March 14, 2024). "Biden says U.S. Steel must stay domestically owned, a major blow to Nippon Steel". Reuters. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  40. U.S. Department of Justice opens probe into Nippon Steel's U.S. Steel deal, Politico reports | Reuters
  41. Analysis-Why Japan Is Not Giving up on Fraught U.S. Steel Deal U.S. News & Report
  42. "The U.S. and Japan announce a historic upgrade in security ties to counter China". NBC News. April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  43. "Exclusive: Japan PM Ishiba urges Biden to approve Nippon-US Steel deal, sources say". November 26, 2024.
  44. "The US backlash against Nippon Steel is wholly misguided". www.ft.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  45. Shepardson, David (April 3, 2024). "US senator urges Biden to review alleged Nippon Steel ties to China".
  46. Oprysko, Caitlin (January 8, 2024). "Steel giants tap K Street heavyweights for help selling acquisition". POLITICO. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  47. Oprysko, Caitlin (January 11, 2024). "Norm Coleman lobbying on US Steel sale". POLITICO. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  48. Our Plan to Grow U.S. Steel | Wall Street Journal
  49. "Nippon Steel Corporation + U. S. Steel". www.bestdealforamericansteel.com. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  50. Nippon Steel's Mori returns to US this week for talks on US Steel takeover | Reuters
  51. Delano, Jon (July 11, 2024). "Nippon Steel talks future of Mon Valley and union jobs if it acquires U.S. Steel - CBS Pittsburgh". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  52. "USW Welcomes Biden's Call for U.S. Steel to Remain Domestically Owned and Operated". United Steelworker. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  53. 1 2 Griffith, Joel. "Nippon Acquisition of U.S. Steel". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  54. Lincicome, Scott. "Japanic! at the Steelco". www.cato.org.
  55. Strain, Michael (June 10, 2024). "The Economic World We've Lost". Center for Opportunity and Social Mobility by AEI. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  56. "Nippon Steel is the Best Deal for Union Steelworkers | Hudson Institute". www.hudson.org. June 26, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  57. "Why Biden Wants to Block the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  58. Stephen Moore and Phil Kerpen, The Nippon Steel Acquisition of U.S. Steel Corporation Can Save America’s Steel Industry Committee to Unleash Prosperity