U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne was presented Monday with the American Iron and Steel Institute's "2015 Congressional Steel Champion Award" while touring SSAB Americas' steel mill in Mobile.

Calling it a "challenging time for the steel industry," SSAB Americas' President Chuck Schmitt, who also serves as chairman of the Washington, D.C-based trade association, made the presentation.

"A surge of illegally traded foreign imports has continued to flood the market, making it difficult for steelmakers across the country to make a profit, and more importantly, making it difficult to keep mills running and maintain jobs for hardworking Americans. Congressman Byrne was an instrumental leader in the fight to pass recent trade laws that will help us remain competitive and level the playing field on trade," Schmidt said.

Byrne said during the ceremony he has been proud while serving in Congress to "stand up for the men and women who work in Alabama's steel industry."

"I have a great appreciation for the unique challenges facing the industry in today's global economy. That is why I worked hard in the recent trade debate to ensure our trade laws are enforced and America's steel producers are able to remain competitive on the international stage. I look forward to continuing to partner with the American Iron and Steel Institute to support policies that boost the steel industry in Alabama and around the United States," Byrne said.

Following the presentation, Byrne met with many of the plant's 600 employees, led by Mark Bush, general manager of SSAB's Alabama operations. He then toured the mill, watching scrap metal being melted into steel that will be used to build construction equipment, storage tanks, wind towers and other infrastructure components.

Thomas J. Gibson, the institute's president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement the trade legislation signed into law in July will "improve the effectiveness of our antidumping and countervailing duty laws to combat unfairly traded imports.

"These improvements come at a critical time for the steel industry. We are grateful for Congressman Byrne's leadership on this, and so many other issues that impact the American steel industry. He is truly one of our champions," Gibson said.