Trade Spending Rises for Current Fiscal Year
The end-of-the-year appropriations compromise worked out between the House and Senate will add tens of millions of dollars for trade enforcement and port technology. The bill, which is expected to pass the Senate by Dec. 20 and has already passed the House of Representatives, will also spend $54 million for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
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In the Commerce Department, there will be $26 million more for the International Trade Administration and $10 million more for the Bureau of Industry and Security than in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Senate summary of the bill said, “These funding increases will further the Department’s trade promotion and enforcement activities, including establishing a dedicated anti-circumvention and duty evasion enforcement unit,” and will add capacity for assessing export controls on emerging technologies.
At CBP, there will be increases beyond the White House budget request of $19.7 million for agriculture specialists, $1.5 million for testing imported honey, $3 million for trade enhancements, $2 million for NAFTA Centers, and $20 million for port-of-entry technology, such as non-intrusive inspection equipment.
The bill also dedicates an additional $10 million for ACE enhancements.
It also moves $1.63 billion from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, a faster-than-projected pace toward using all the fees dedicated for that purpose. There will be less money in 2020 for port infrastructure, such as road and rail connections, gate or berth improvements, or cargo operation improvements. That line item will be $225 million in the current fiscal year. “While this number is lower than last year, it is a significant improvement over the Administration’s efforts to zero out the program,” the American Association of Port Authorities said, and therefore, they see it as a victory.