On 19th March 2020, the Aluminum Association released the memo American Aluminum Jobs: Essential to the Nation, which outlines steps policymakers can take to ensure that the U.S. aluminium industry can be part of the solution to help keep the nation moving forward and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is in support of the Aluminum Association’s statement that “local, state and federal governments must ensure that aluminium industry operations and employees are designated as ‘essential’ and exempt from any ‘shelter in place’ orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Now is the time for the Trump administration to put the aluminium industry to work during this health crisis and deploy the resources that were deemed vital to our national security by the President.

Aluminium extrusions are crucial components in a variety of products and systems that are used every day, and which are essential to keeping our nation running in an emergency such as medical equipment, temporary building structures, rail cars, trucking and other critical industries.

The AEC appreciates and recognises the extraordinary efforts of the administration in attempting to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Trump administration should identify the aluminium industry and its workers as essential to our national and economic security and provide guidance by exempting them from any “shelter in place” and other orders.

“The aluminium extrusion industry stands ready to assist in this time of emergency that our country faces. The members of the AEC are hard-working, resilient and compassionate. They want to be part of the solution and not be relegated to the sidelines in this most critical time in our country,” said AEC President Jeff Henderson.