MARION - A United States senator had an attentive audience as he spoke in support of federal legislation he said supports American manufacturers and workers.

About 20 Nucor Steel Marion Inc. workers, Mayor Scott Schertzer and others listened as Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass two Senate bills, Brown’s Currency Exchange and Oversight Reform Act and The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act.

“These two things will clearly translate into jobs,” Brown said. “It’s time we got in a direction where we’re putting American workers to work.”

The currency bill, S. 1619, would stop China from making its products artificially cheaper than American-made products, he said.

He cited a report by the Economic Policy Institute and Alliance for American Manufacturing, which states the growing trade deficit with China caused in large part by China’s illegal currency manipulation has cost the United States more than 2.8 million jobs since 2001, including more than 1.9 million manufacturing jobs.

The Moving Ahead for Progress bill, S. 1813, which has stalled in the House, includes a provision Brown said would strengthen “Buy America” provisions and support Ohio-made steel, including rebar manufactured at Nucor.

Brown said the “Buy America” provisions would close loopholes and ensure American-made steel would be used, instead of Chinese steel.

He pointed to three major projects in Ohio that would benefit by passage of both bills, work on the “Innerbelt Bridge” in the Flats area of Cleveland, the Interstate 71/70 interchange in Columbus, and the I-71/I-75 bridge in Cincinnati.

“These three projects, those are a zillion steel jobs,” Brown said. “There’s just no excuse for not passing it.”

One of his listeners, Steve Conway, in charge of highway products sales at Nucor, welcomed Brown’s words.

“Obviously, we’re going to support him because he’s supporting the things we’re supporting,” Conway said.

Brown is running against Republican Josh Mandel in the November general election.