MTB Submission Process Needs to Strengthen Beyond Senate Proposal, Says Ryan
The Senate proposal to revamp the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill submission process is a step in the right direction, but House lawmakers are still considering ways to make more improvements to the MTB process while staying “faithful to the earmarks ban,” said House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in comments to reporters on Feb. 13. Ryan renewed his support for the MTB bill as a whole, and said lawmakers are searching for a resolution to bring the tariff suspension program back on line.
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MTB expired more than two years ago, and attempts to pass another MTB bill languished last Congress. Many Republicans have obstructed the bill since its lapse over allegiance to an earmark ban, put into effect on Capitol Hill in 2010 (here). Ryan helped author that ban, he noted at the briefing.
Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., introduced the Temporary Duty Suspension Process Act, S-260 (here), in late January (see 1501290002). That measure would make companies submit MTB tariff suspension requests directly to the International Trade Commission, rather than through Congress. The Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees, the two committees with primary jurisdiction over trade, would then build the requests into a package. Portman recently said he thinks the bill can eliminate criticism of the tariff suspensions as earmarks. The bill is currently awaiting action at the Finance Committee.
But some stakeholders criticize the bill for removing Congress totally from the submission process (see 1502100017). Ryan said he’s trying to strike the right balance between congressional involvement and earmark opposition with future legislation, but didn’t say outright he thinks House lawmakers will float another bill soon. “I’d like to think we can come up with a process that keeps the legislative branch in its proper role but also addresses the legitimate concerns that have surrounded the prior process,” said Ryan in the Feb. 13 briefing.
Many industry representatives want an MTB bill, likely accompanied by a process reform bill, to advance through the legislative process with Trade Promotion Authority in the coming months. Ryan said the Senate will probably move on TPA first because the chamber’s legislative schedule is more open. “I’m hopeful we’ll get an agreement pretty soon," said Ryan, adding that he thinks Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is reserving time on the Senate floor for TPA. “It’s the typically legislative back and forth that’s occurring, which is just different ideas being passed around.”
Some Capitol Hill staffers have said a TPA bill is now more likely to move initially as a standalone bill, but the amendment process will then allow lawmakers to compile a trade package. Ryan also said he’s still committed to quickly passing an African Growth and Opportunity Act renewal. He declined to comment on his preference for a specific lifespan of an AGOA renewal.