Republicans who are in the China package negotiations say that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's tweet that said that moving even a smaller Build Back Better bill would halt negotiations was not an empty threat. He had said that while Congress was away from Washington, at the beginning of the month (see 2207010039).
Five Republican senators, only one of whom voted for the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), are asking that Senate conferees drop the directive to reopen a Section 301 exclusion process, and add a number of trade provisions only found in the House China package. Some House proposals that Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ala., Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Florida's two senators, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, both Republicans, want to include:
A new House bill would require the government to publish more tracking information on deliveries of certain defense exports to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act, introduced by Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Young Kim, R-Calif., would require the State and Defense departments to submit reports to Congress on approved defense exports to those regions, the “estimated” start and end dates of their delivery, any information about changes in delivery dates and more. The report would include information on defense exports worth at least $25 million.
Emissions-intensive, trade-exposed goods such as cement, paper, glass, steel and chemicals are likely to be those facing carbon border adjustment taxes, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report about both the possibility of the taxes going into effect in Canada and the EU and what Congress would need to consider if it wanted to pass its own version.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who voted for the Senate's China package last year, publicly threw a wrench into the already difficult negotiations to hash out a compromise between the House and Senate approaches to investing in America and competing with China.
The U.S. didn’t do enough to penalize the Chinese companies accused by the Commerce Department this week of helping Russia evade export controls (see 2206280056), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said the U.S should also have placed financial sanctions on the companies, adding that State Department Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman told the committee in April that China would face “consequences” if its companies provided support to Russia.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., the lead Democratic sponsor of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, has introduced a second bill aimed at helping agricultural exporters, called the American Port Access Privileges Act.
As senators who support subsidies to build semiconductor chips in the U.S. continue to say the trade title differences are holding up the bill, and that it should drop out, House negotiators say it's not time to give up yet.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said he talked with Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi, and she has agreed to press India to reduce its pecan tariffs. Ossoff said pecan farmers have told him India's tariffs are a problem. "Responding to the needs of Georgia farmers, Sen. Ossoff raised objections to India’s high tariffs on pecans with India’s Ambassador to the U.S Taranjit Singh Sandhu in two separate engagements," Ossoff's office said in a press release.
Congress should ensure existing and new trade agreements promote “responsible” collaboration in emerging technologies, including through targeted export controls, said Charles Robinson, an IBM quantum computing executive. In June 22 testimony to the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, Robinson said lawmakers should “support the tailoring of export controls” to keep sensitive technologies “out of the hands of nefarious actors.” He specifically mentioned quantum technologies, which are particularly sensitive and “present possible dual-use concerns.” Industry groups and companies have urged Commerce to avoid broad, unilateral controls on quantum technologies and other emerging technologies, which they say could stifle U.S. competitiveness and innovation (see 2204140033, 2205100022 and 2202180013).