President Barack Obama should level additional sanctions on the Russian banking, energy and defense sectors to counteract continued Russian violations of Ukrainian territorial sovereignty, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., in an Aug. 30 letter, while urging the president to impose the measures in collaboration with European allies. Many U.S. policymakers, including White House officials, allege Russia has in recent days ramped up its military presence in Ukrainian regions that border Russia (here).
The Obama administration should recommend an expanded Food and Drug Administration budget authority in fiscal year 2016 to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), rather than another request for increased use -fees to fund the law's implementation, said two House lawmakers in recent days. The White House asked for the FDA to collect user fees for food imports, as well as food facility registration and inspection, in its FY15 budget request (see 14030519). A 2013 district court decision led to a settlement between the FDA and the Center for Food Safety which requires the seven FSMA final implementation rules to be published between August 2015 and May 2016 (see 14022124). “No bill to authorize such fees has been introduced and even if enabling legislation is introduced this year, it is highly unlikely that any new law will be enacted in time to fund these vital FSMA implementation steps,” said Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sam Farr, D-Calif., in the letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Congress rejected the last five administration requests for user fees designed to implement the FSMA (here), said the lawmakers. If properly funded and implemented, the law is able to “deploy a truly risk-based oversight system and more fully secure our food supply,” the letter said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should “resume litigation” in the Guatemalan labor settlement process under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), said three Democratic Finance Committee members in an Aug. 27 statement. USTR gave Guatemala in recent days four more weeks to present documentation before the U.S. will reactivate the dispute process (see 14082602). “The latest deadline for Guatemala to demonstrate compliance with the labor enforcement plan is fast approaching,” said committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “Guatemala should receive no further extensions.” Both sides endorsed a Labor Action Plan in 2013. The U.S. is able to impose sanctions on Guatemala for its failure to comply with CAFTA labor mandates, but that may limit Guatemalan exports to the U.S., said industry representatives (see 14082701).
Increased competition from South American and Canadian paper production companies contributed to the near total shutter of an Old Town, Maine paper mill in recent days, said Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine on Aug. 26, while urging the Department of Labor to support a Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition filed on behalf of the roughly 200 workers at Old Town Fuel and Fiber. The agency should “expeditiously and thoroughly consider” the petition, Michaud said in a letter to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. “The increased global competition has contributed to an overall decline of the paper industry, and these workers are likely to have significant difficulties locating other jobs in their sector,” said Michaud. “TAA will be critical in helping these workers receive the necessary training to find alternative employment.” The current TAA legislation expires at the end of 2014, and many Democratic proponents are insisting renewal legislation is passed along with other trade bills (see 14031036).
House Financial Services Committee leaders threatened in recent days to recruit the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to require that three Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank officials provide transcribed interviews on the credit agency. The bank continues to rebuff committee efforts to interview the officials, and also refuses to release records of Board of Directors meetings, said Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, along with Rep. Patrick McHenry, chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, in an Aug. 18 letter. McHenry asked Ex-Im President Fred Hochberg in a July 17 letter to make available Ex-Im employees Charles Hall, executive vice president and chief risk officer, David Sena, chief financial officer, and Angela Mariana Freyre, senior vice president and general counsel.
The United Nations Security Council should move quickly to impose sanctions on “senior members” of the South Sudanese government and opposition in response to ongoing turmoil in the country, said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., in a recent letter to U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power. Royce also urged the UN to “impose a comprehensive arms embargo on South Sudan,” saying more weapons in the country will fuel more violence. “A severe man-made humanitarian crisis, including a grave risk of famine, looms over the people of South Sudan for no fault of their own,” the letter said. “Political and military leadership of both the Republic of the South Sudan and the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement/Army In-Opposition have shown complete disregard for the well-being of southern Sudanese.” Royce criticized both sides of the conflict, which pits the government against its former Vice President Riek Machar, for refusing to honor a May peace accord (here).
New lobbyist registrations on trade-related issues include:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties advocacy group, recently launched a signature campaign to pressure Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to propose Trade Promotion Authority legislation that strengthens trade negotiating transparency and prevents “extreme copyright and digital privacy provisions.” Wyden vowed in April to introduce new TPA legislation, following the introduction in January of a different TPA bill, but Wyden has not since announced progress in that effort (see 14040919). Some analysts have suggested the U.S. is pushing for stronger intellectual property measures than all other Trans-Pacific Partnership participant nations (see 14030520).
President Barack Obama signed the House version of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act, HR-5021 (here), into law on Aug. 8, the White House said. The Senate passed the legislation on July 31. The law replenishes the Highway Trust Fund coffers with $10.8 billion and provides spending authority for highway projects through May 31, 2015.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should immediately restore grain inspection services to the Port of Vancouver in Washington State in order to maintain the flow of grain products of the U.S., said House Agriculture Committee majority leadership in an Aug. 7 letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. USDA suspended the inspection services in early July over security threats posed by International Longshore and Warehouse Union picketing, said U.S. Wheat Associates, an agricultural export advocacy organization. The union is locked in a labor dispute with United Grain, said the organization in a briefing. But USDA officials who conducted a recent security assessment said the security threats are insignificant, said the House Agriculture Committee leadership. “Those officials have confirmed that there are no security concerns that would prevent USDA grain inspectors from entering or exiting the facility through the vehicular gate, or by helicopter,” said committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, a subcommittee chairman, in the letter to Vilsack. “As someone who has spent considerable time and energy fighting to open international markets for our agricultural products, we know that you are concerned about the potential loss of those markets due to the closure of this important export terminal.” Moreover, the lawmakers said USDA officials refused to specify the precise threats that warrant suspension of services.