Dramatic price increases for steel and I other metals have captured stampers' attention since early 2004. On March 10, Washington took note. The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on the matter, giving the steel industry a chance to present its case to the elected representatives who expected steel prices to fall with the removal of the Bush administration's import tariffs. "These recent dramatic price surges in steel and other metals are pummeling our small manufacturers who are trying desperately to hold on to their businesses," said Don Manzullo, R-Ill, the committee chairman. "The lifting of the steel tariffs should have provided relief to these small-business owners. Instead, the opposite has occurred. They are now faced with even higher prices. We must get to the bottom of these price surges quickly. Our economic recovery and thousands of American jobs are at stake."
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