Tester Pushes Biden Administration to Provide Assistance to Workers Impacted by Layoffs at Sibanye-Stillwater Mine

In letter to Acting Secretary of Labor, Senator urges Department to approve State’s application for National Dislocated Work Assistance

Continuing his efforts to support workers affected by the restructuring at Montana’s Sibanye-Stillwater mine, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today pushed the Biden Administration to provide immediate financial assistance to those impacted by the layoffs. In a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Tester urged the Department of Labor to swiftly approve the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s application for $11.5 million in National Dislocated Worker Assistance.

“This assistance will help hardworking Montanans who are losing their jobs at no fault of their own,” Tester wrote. “While I work to make sure more Montanans are able to keep their jobs, it is critically important that your agency quickly approve this application and expedite resources to support the impacted Montanan families.”

Tester went on to explain that the National Dislocated Worker Assistance Program would help impacted workers get access to employment and training services. While emphasizing the urgency of the state’s request, Tester also urged the Department of Labor to identify other employment services to help Montanans recovering from job loss.

Tester concluded the letter, “I stand ready to work with you to support the local workforce and help the region rebound.”

Within hours of Sibanye-Stillwater’s announcement that they would be undergoing a restructuring due to Russian dumping of palladium into the American market, Tester personally spoke with Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and pressed him on the need for the Biden Administration to support the impacted workers. Tester also introduced a bill to ban Russian importation of palladium and other critical minerals indefinitely.

In a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo last month, Tester urged the Biden Administration to maximize the availability of federal initiatives designed to support those affected by the layoffs.

And earlier this month, Tester met with Montanans impacted by the layoffs at the Sibanye-Stillwater mine in Columbus, Montana. Following the meeting, Tester sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, continuing to urge the agency to approve federal resources for employment and training services for local workforce affected by layoffs.

Tester has long fought to rebuild domestic manufacturing and onshore supply chains to reduce America’s dependence on foreign adversaries like China and Russia. In February, Tester sent a letter to Secretary Yellen expressing concerns that domestic critical mineral production at places like Sibanye-Stillwater was being curbed by reliance on foreign adversaries like China.

And just last week, as a result of Tester’s relentless pressure, the Biden Administration announced they will apply a manufacturing tax credit to American mining and the production of domestic minerals. The Administration’s announcement followed months of pressure from Tester, including his most recent letter to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, urging the Department to follow Congressional intent as written in the Inflation Reduction Act and apply the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit to the production and recycling of critical minerals.   

You can watch Tester’s full statement on the Sibanye-Stillwater mine layoffs HERE.

You can read the full text of the Senator’s letter HERE.