The Internet Association (IA) called on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees to take on copyright issues within trade legislation in a Jan. 14 letter (here) to committee leaders. The group, which includes Amazon, Facebook and Paypal, said that copyright “limitations and exceptions” should be included in the Trade Promotion Authority legislation and asked for liability protections for Internet intermediaries.
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since the 114th Congress convened:
President Barack Obama needs to collaborate with Republican leaders in Congress to move forward on Trade Promotion Authority in order to safeguard retail industry interests, said National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay in a Jan. 14 letter to Obama (here). Shay identified TPA as one of five primary retail priorities.
The House passed the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill on Jan. 14, with a tight vote 236-191, mostly along party lines. The chief House appropriator, Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., introduced the bill in recent days, but the House-passed version includes amendments to scale back President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration. Only 10 Republicans opposed the measure, while two Democrats supported the bill.
House Republicans plan to tackle changes to state chemical regulations in the next six months, but the legislation is likely to be far simpler than the Chemicals in Commerce Act floated last Congress, said that draft bill’s author John Shimkus, R-Ill., in comments to reporters on Jan. 14. Shimkus, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, pushed hard to move forward on the Chemicals in Commerce Act in the early part of 2014, but some committee Democrats opposed that effort (see 14043003).
International trade likely will continue to be an area where the White House can cooperate with Congress to move forward on policy changes, President Barack Obama said before a meeting with congressional leaders in both chambers (here). Obama met with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate minority whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who filled in for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Republican leadership in both chambers support TPA, while Senate Democrats are exploring changes and many House Democrats reject the bill (see 1501130001).
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since the 114th Congress convened:
The White House threatened a veto on the House Homeland Security appropriations bill, which includes CBP funding, in a Jan. 12 statement (here). The bill provides strong support for law enforcement personnel and activities at the border, but doesn’t do enough to garner President Barack Obama’s support, said the White House statement. The House Appropriations Committee introduced the legislation in recent days (see 1501120012). The administration also cautioned House lawmakers against amending the bill to obstruct implementation of Obama’s recent executive order on immigration. Both chambers of Congress agreed to fund the Department of Homeland Security only through Feb. 27, after Republicans voiced opposition to DHS funding for the executive order. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, praised the Border Patrol and CBP officer totals in the legislation, and threatened to allow amendments that would impact the executive order (here).
Congress needs to give the Obama administration Trade Promotion Authority before concluding pending free trade agreements, said new House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in comments at the committee’s first hearing on the 114th Congress on Jan. 13 (here). “TPA would empower Congress to set our negotiating objectives and hold the administration accountable,” said Ryan. “TPA would also help us get the best deal from our trading partners.” The Obama administration is pushing to wrap up Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Some House Democrats oppose TPA passage (see 1501090022).
The AFL-CIO briefed members of Congress on Jan. 12 on the harmful impact of U.S. trade policy with Honduras and released a report on the subject the same day (here). Honduras is party to the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement. U.S. trade policy in the region is helping to fuel mass migration to the U.S. of undocumented Latin Americans, including droves of children, said the report. The briefing and report follow an AFL-CIO-sponsored trip to Honduras in October, which led some to criticize CAFTA corporate farming and industrial policies that, they say, wreak havoc on local communities (see 1410210028). "CAFTA’s architecture of deregulation coupled with investor protections allowed companies to outsource labor-intensive components of their supply chains to locations with weak labor laws and low wages,” said the report. Moreover, "the labor rights situation in the country continues to deteriorate. Women workers spoke about ongoing workplace harassment and discrimination.” The country is also failing to protect collective bargaining and unions, said the report.