Senators Target Permanent Enforcement Center, USTR Manufacturing Negotiator
Sens. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., aim to strengthen U.S. enforcement of trade violations through new legislation that would make permanent the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center, the two lawmakers said in a March 17 statement (here). President Barack Obama established the ITEC through 2012 executive action. Law enforcement officials say the center provides a critical platform to crack down on counterfeit goods (see 1502250074">1502250074).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
The Trade Enforcement Act, S-758, would create a Chief Trade Enforcement Officer for the center. The legislation would also require the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to appoint a chief manufacturing officer. The lawmakers pointed to a recent USTR report on counterfeit markets as evidence of the challenges the U.S. faces in protecting intellectual property and U.S. manufacturing (see 1503060033">1503060033).
The ITEC has so far played a central role in a series of U.S. victories at the World Trade Organization, said the lawmakers. USTR Michael Froman has frequently championed the Obama administration's enforcement record in Geneva (see 14082513). Making ITEC permanent "could potentially affect billions of dollars in exporting energy products, electronics and machinery, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, motor vehicles and vehicle parts," said the statement. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, may also try to tack enforcement provisions onto Trade Promotion Authority (see 1501130001).