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.
Call for a Section 232 investigation into the offshoring of heavy equipment manufacturing to protect American manufacturing jobs.
Occurrences
Sens Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) wrote a letter late last month calling on the Trump administration to open a Section 232 investigation into the offshoring of heavy equipment manufacturing, citing John Deere, CNH and Caterpillar as the prime offenders.
Two senators are pressing for a Section 232 investigation into heavy equipment imports, arguing that the current offshoring pattern to Mexico is undermining domestic industrial capacity and jobs. ... The request from Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bernie Moreno of Ohio targets a wide band of heavy machinery and components, including agricultural, construction, mining and forestry equipment, plus related parts. Their argument links national security to production footprint, claiming that large manufacturers have shifted core assembly and component work to Mexican plants while continuing to serve the US market duty-free under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
We write to urge the Commerce Department to take prompt and decisive action to support American workers and their communities by launching a new Section 232 investigation into imports of heavy construction and agricultural equipment. ... We urge the Department to launch a new Section 232 investigation into heavy equipment imports, including agricultural implements, construction and mining equipment, forestry and logging equipment, heavy machinery, their respective parts, and their derivative products.
Evidence
On March 26, 2026, Senators Tammy Baldwin and Bernie Moreno sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, urging the Trump administration to initiate a Section 232 investigation into the offshoring practices of heavy equipment manufacturers like John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar. They expressed concern over these companies moving production to Mexico, resulting in significant layoffs in the U.S., and called for targeted tariffs on heavy equipment imports to protect American manufacturing jobs.
On April 15, 2026, the Alliance for American Manufacturing reported that Senators Baldwin and Moreno had called on the Trump administration to open a Section 232 investigation into the offshoring of heavy equipment manufacturing. They highlighted that companies like John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar have offshored operations, leading to thousands of American workers being laid off, while these companies have distributed billions to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends.
On March 26, 2026, Senators Baldwin and Moreno sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, urging the Department of Commerce to launch a Section 232 investigation into imports of heavy construction and agricultural equipment. They expressed outrage over companies like John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar offshoring production to Mexico, resulting in significant layoffs in the U.S., and called for targeted tariffs to safeguard American jobs and manufacturing.
On April 3, 2026, SupplyChain360 reported that Senators Baldwin and Moreno were pressing for a Section 232 investigation into heavy equipment imports, arguing that the offshoring of production to Mexico undermines domestic industrial capacity and jobs. They emphasized that companies like John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar have shifted core assembly and component work to Mexican plants while continuing to serve the U.S. market duty-free under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Assessments
The promised action was to call for a Section 232 investigation, not necessarily to cause the Commerce Department to open one. The evidence shows that on March 26, 2026, Senator Tammy Baldwin, while serving in the U.S. Senate, joined Senator Bernie Moreno in formally urging Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to initiate a Section 232 investigation into offshoring by heavy equipment manufacturers such as John Deere, CNH, and Caterpillar. That directly satisfies the stated oversight promise in the same federal term context.
The promise was to call for a Section 232 investigation into offshoring in heavy equipment manufacturing to protect American jobs. Multiple secondary sources confirm that Senator Baldwin, alongside Senator Moreno, sent official requests and made public calls for the investigation in 2026. The language of the promise involves advocacy ('call for'), not delivering an enacted investigation or policy. Since the promised action—publicly pressing and formally calling for the investigation—was fully undertaken, the promise is delivered. The evidence shows serious and high-profile legislative effort in line with the specificity of the commitment.