Levin Criticizes Strategy to Address Outstanding Issues Through Customs Bill
House Republicans are misusing Customs Reauthorization legislation to advance more a “rigid ideological agenda” for Trade Promotion Authority, said House Ways and Means Chairman Sandy Levin, D-Mich., in a June 10 statement (here). Customs legislation is headed toward a legislative conference if the bill is passed on June 12 as expected.
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Lawmakers recently developed a plan to include language in a compromise bill that supersedes the human trafficking legislation in the Senate-passed TPA bill (see 1505260037). The current language in the Senate TPA bill would preclude the use of TPA for closing a deal with Malaysia, one of 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators, due to that country’s level of human trafficking activity.
The newest version of the House customs bill (here) also includes language to prohibit the U.S. from making climate change or immigration policy changes in free trade agreements, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., confirmed at a Rules Committee hearing on June 10. Levin referenced those changes in his statement, but didn’t outright reject them. The House bill also lacks a critical currency measure that would allow the Commerce Department to impose countervailing duties on currency manipulators, as well as a process reform measure for the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, Levin said.