PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – At the end of last year, U.S. Steel announced that a Japanese-based company would take ownership of the corporation. The U.S. Steelworkers union wasn’t notified. This week, the union and lawmakers penned a letter to the Biden administration with a request to block the sale. “I think for folks in western Pennsylvania it’s a gut punch,” said congress member Chris Deluzio. Deluzio represents Congressional District 17. U.S. Steel was once the biggest company on the planet. For more than 100 years workers from right here in western Pennsylvania were instrumental in the production of steel. However, in the last decade, there was a decline, and the corporation began to look for new ownership in 2023. But union workers and lawmakers made their stance clear they would only support American ownership. Two weeks ago U.S. Steel announced that Nippon Steel, Japan’s biggest steel producer, would take ownership. “We want to make sure our national security is protected, and those good solid union jobs are protected,” Deluzio said. The Biden administration will now review the $14 billion sale and make a final decision.