Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is speaking about the effects of steel imports on national security at a public hearing on Wednesday in Washington.
"The purpose of the investigation is to determine if the steel being imported into this country impairs our national, economic and military security," Ross said. "If we determine that steel imports are indeed a threat to our security, the department will recommend responsible action to the president."
CNBC has made a live stream of the hearing available here:
President Donald Trump in April asked for an investigation into what effects steel imports may have on U.S. national security.
The probe was part of Trump's "America First" program to keep jobs in the U.S. and encourage domestic manufacturing.
Steel has been a recurring point of contention in global trade, especially between the United States and China.
China, which produces about half of the world's steel, has repeatedly been accused of dumping excess steel onto other countries for less than the cost of production, putting other countries' steel producers out of business.