House Republican Wants to Move USTR to Legislative Branch
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., introduced House Resolution 2 this week, to create a Joint Ad Hoc Committee to design a plan where the functions and responsibilities of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative would be moved to the legislative branch, since the Constitution gives the power to regulate trade to Congress.
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The bill would appoint nine House members, from Ways and Means or Energy and Commerce, six from the majority, three from the minority, and five senators, from the Finance Committee, three from the majority and two from the minority.
The committee would have 16 months to develop the plan; the transfer would go into effect four years after the report was submitted, or on July 1, 2028, whichever is later.
“I don’t anticipate a giant change in policy, but the U.S. Constitution specifies that Congress is responsible for trade. We have abrogated that responsibility to the White House," Griffith said in an e-mailed statement. “All my proposal does is transplant the United States Trade Office from the lawn of the White House to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. I would anticipate the day-to-day operations to remain substantially the same, except that the United States Trade Representative would answer to a bipartisan, bicameral panel of governors selected by the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.”
The bill has no co-sponsors.