07:20 AM EST, 11/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- United States Steel's ( X ) proposed sale to Japan's Nippon Steel is facing potential scrutiny from lawmakers as four House Republicans have called for the preservation of documents related to the national security review of the deal for "any forthcoming oversight needs," Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Citing a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the report said the lawmakers asked President Joe Biden's administration to preserve communications between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, the White House, and key stakeholders such as labor unions and rival bidder Cleveland-Cliffs.

The lawmakers expressed concerns that the review process may be tainted by politics. The issue raises "broader issues about whether the statutory mandate of CFIUS to prioritize national security considerations has been subordinated to political interests," the letter reads, as reported by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week sent a letter to Biden urging him to approve deal and emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong US-Japan relations, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Ishiba reportedly reassured Biden that Nippon Steel is committed to safeguarding US Steel workers and argued that the proposed acquisition would allow both Japanese and US steel companies "to combine advanced technologies and increase competitiveness, and will contribute to enhancing steel production capacity and employment in the United States."

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