Shapiro, Fetterman Talk Out of Both Sides of Their Mouths About U.S. Steel

The recent news of a new multibillion-dollar deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel has many celebrating. Even Sen. John Fetterman and Gov. Josh Shapiro cheered.

Yet, these high-profile Pennsylvania lawmakers have been singing an entirely different tune for years. In fact, both openly opposed the U.S. Steel–Nippon deal—that is, until it became politically expedient.

Initially, Fetterman wasn’t shy about his strong opposition. “The acquisition of @U_S_Steel by a foreign company is wrong for workers and wrong for Pennsylvania,” he tweeted. “I’m gonna do everything I can to block it.”

And so, he did. In March, Fetterman teamed up with former Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., to send a letter to U.S. Steel and Nippon, expressing “concern that the companies were failing to meet their commitments to Pennsylvania workers.”

When former President Joe Biden blocked the deal, Fetterman celebrated, highlighting his ideological motivation. “I’m always going to trust and follow the wisdom and the judgement [sic] of the union,” he stated in response to Biden’s obstruction. “My goal is their goal: to protect the union way of life and allow it to endure.”

Meanwhile, Shapiro—who touted his influence within the White House—remained silent about Biden blocking the deal. Rather than advocate for Pennsylvania workers, the governor quietly complied with the leader of his party. Meanwhile, other prominent Pennsylvania lawmakers, such as Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, urged Shapiro to speak up.

But Shapiro was also placating union leadership. In fact, the governor blatantly bent a knee toward Big Labor.

“[I]f the U.S. Steelworkers aren’t happy with this deal, which they are not, I’m not happy with this deal,” said the governor. Considering Shapiro’s financial ties to unions (especially government unions), it shouldn’t surprise anybody that the governor won’t stray too far from the union line. Government unions donated to Shapiro more than any other politician nationally.

However, claiming that union workers opposed the deal is a fabrication. In fact, many rank-and-file Steelworkers favored the agreement. At the Irvin Works in West Mifflin, 95 percent of union members supported the original merger proposal.

Truthfully, those who opposed the deal tended to be out-of-state union executives. U.S. Steelworkers President David McCall even coordinated with Cleveland-Cliffs, a union-friendly and competing steelmaker that also bid to obtain U.S. Steel.

Yet, when news of the deal broke, Fetterman and Shapiro didn’t hesitate to take credit.

In an official statement released minutes after the announcement, Shapiro did what he does best: He took to social media and delivered empty platitudes. On X, he bragged about how he “worked with the leadership” to “press for the best deal.” The governor also called the deal “a BFD”—an abbreviation for big f—ing deal.

All the while, Shapiro still maintained his distance. The governor stressed that Trump was the “sole decision-making authority” for the U.S. Steel–Nippon agreement. While taking undue credit, Shapiro also provided himself with enough cover should he need to distance himself later.

Fetterman’s messaging was even more confusing. The senator also took to social media to herald the announcement, riding on the coattails of the good news. “This is why we fight for the union way of life, and I will continue to support @steelworkers no matter the cause,” he tweeted. This tweet, however, retweeted the senator’s original message about how he would “do everything … to block it.”

In true double-speak fashion, Shapiro and Fetterman were against the U.S. Steel–Nippon deal before they were for it. When jobs were on the line, these two lawmakers played political games.

Moreover, they took their talking points straight from out-of-state union executives, not the rank-and-file members whose livelihoods depended on the deal. Pennsylvanians deserve better leadership and shouldn’t have to steel themselves against such blatant political hypocrisy.