Baldwin, Moreno Call on Trump Admin to Open Investigation Into Heavy Equipment Manufacturers, Protect American Jobs

Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH) called on the Trump administration to protect American manufacturing jobs by opening a Section 232 investigation into the offshoring of heavy equipment manufacturing, primarily by Case New Holland (CNH), Caterpillar, and John Deere. The call comes just a day before President Trump is slated to host the CEOs of John Deere and CNH for National Agriculture Day at the White House. In recent years, these big equipment manufacturers have offshored operations and have laid off thousands of American workers, while doling out billions in stock buybacks and shareholder dividends. Specifically, Baldwin and Moreno urged the Administration to place targeted tariffs on heavy equipment imports to protect American workers and address trade deals that undermine manufacturing communities by incentivizing production in Mexico.

“We stand with working Americans in support of leveling the playing field and ending trade policies that have hollowed out our communities and prevented millions of people from achieving financial security,” the Senators wrote to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

“We are outraged that John Deere, Case New Holland (CNH), Caterpillar, and other major manufacturers have turned their backs on the American workers, families, and towns that built them by sending production of heavy construction and agricultural equipment to Mexico,” continued the Senators. “These companies should not be allowed to eliminate American jobs, pay Mexican workers poverty wages, and then ship products back to the U.S. for additional profit on the backs of our communities. They argue that offshoring is necessary to remain competitive, but when it comes time to pay executives or shareholders, they are never short of money.”

In April 2024, CNH Industrial laid off over 200 workers in Racine, Wisconsin, and moved production to Mexico. These layoffs were part of a longer-term strategy the company had in place to offshore jobs in order to maximize profits for shareholders and executives. In response, Senator Baldwin sent a letter blasting the CEO at the time and urged the company to keep the jobs in Wisconsin and abandon plans to move them to Mexico. The layoffs came after roughly 1,100 CNH Industrial workers in Wisconsin and Iowa spent more than 260 days on strike for better working conditions. Senator Baldwin joined workers on the picket line and penned a letter in support of the workers’ demands.

Meanwhile, companies like John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar continue to increase their profits and enrich shareholders by buying back stocks. In recent years, CNH has delivered $1.7 billion to shareholders. Caterpillar has returned $18.2 billion through dividends and buybacks. In the past few years, John Deere has paid $8.4 billion to shareholders.