A source close to US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris revealed that she insists on the continued ownership and management of US Steel Corp, which represents an obstacle to the Japanese steel company Nippon Steel Corp’s attempt to acquire the US company.

Bloomberg quoted the source as saying that Harris, who will visit Pittsburgh as part of her election campaign, will deliver a speech on Labor Day in the United States to representatives of labor unions in the city, where US Steel is headquartered, and the United Steelworkers union, which opposes the sale to the Japanese company.

Bloomberg indicated that this is Harris’s first statement on the proposed deal, and it is consistent with President Joe Biden’s position, who rejects it without going so far as to prevent it by reviewing it according to US national security concerns. As for former US President and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump, he rejects the deal.

Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steel group, announced in December that it would acquire U.S. rival U.S. Steel.

The two companies said Nippon Steel would pay $55 per share in cash. The total valuation, including assumed debt, is $14.9 billion.

Nippon Steel said it expects the purchase to accelerate growth. The boards of both companies support the deal.

In May, Nippon Steel announced it was postponing its full acquisition of U.S. Steel by three months, to December, because the deal had become a hot topic ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.

The companies said the acquisition would help U.S. Steel produce more advanced and sustainable steel for U.S. customers, in addition to “strengthening the resilience of U.S. industry in the face of threats from China.”