Public comments on products for inclusion in the miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) were due June 22. The comments will eventually be publicly available and a House Ways and Means Committee spokeswoman said the committee "will get them up as soon as we can."

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, introduced legislation that he said would stop the flow of more than a million counterfeit microchips into the U.S., primarily made in China, that "pose a risk to our military and sensitive computer networks." McCaul heads the House Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee.

A group of U.S. corporations, trade associations and small businesses actively seeking to increase U.S. exports to Russia released a letter with more than 100 signatures urging U.S. senators to co-sponsor legislation (S-3285) to enact Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Russia. The group is called the Coalition for U.S.-Russia Trade (www.usrussiatrade.org). Russia joining the World Trade Organization "represents a strong deal that includes transparency and accountability commitments that will encourage an improved environment for business," said Randi Levinas, executive director of the coalition and executive vice president of the U.S.-Russia Business Council (www.usrbc.org). "The Russia PNTR bill introduced last week supports U.S. businesses and workers seeking to tap into export and sales opportunities in Russia's large and growing market. ... Without PNTR in hand when Russia joins the WTO, our companies risk losing out not only on lucrative contracts but also on opportunities to share good corporate governance rules and best business practices."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced legislation (S-3326) June 22 they said would improve U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. The bill would extend a key provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), extending a Third-Country Fabric (TCF) provision that allows African countries to use third-country fabric and then export that into the U.S. The Republic of South Sudan would also be added to the list of 48 sub-Saharan nations eligible to qualify for duty-free access to the U.S. market for certain products, including apparel, footwear and textiles.

The expansion of the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement to include Mexico and Canada "increases the need for enhanced consultation and transparency with Members of Congress and their staff," said Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Me.), chairman of the House Trade Working Group. He said the Obama Administration should slow down negotiations to "engage in meaningful, substantive meetings with all interested Members of Congress, and to make TPP a new model for U.S. trade policy." (See ITT's Online Archives 12061837.)

The economic benefits of Russia joining the World Trade Organization and getting Permanent Normal Trade Relations "are clear," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) in opening remarks prepared for a hearing June 20. He said they include "greater opportunities for U.S. employers, farmers, and ranchers to sell American goods and services to Russia. We would give up nothing -- not a single U.S. tariff -- but we would obtain a powerful new enforcement tool and important rights, while bringing our two countries closer on multiple fronts."

A group of lawmakers said June 18 they reached a deal on the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, (S-3187), which reauthorizes for five years Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fees for FDA drug review processes. The legislation would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to work with CBP to develop "regulations to establish good importer practices that specify the measures an importer shall take to ensure imported drugs are in compliance with the requirements of this Act."

The following are the trade-related hearings scheduled from June 18-22:

Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA) gave their support to the World Trade Organization decision ruling against several aspects of Chinese antidumping and countervailing duties on U.S. electrical steel.

The chairman and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said they remained concerned with the national security threat posed by two Chinese telecommunications companies, Huawei and ZTE, that want to sell telecom products in the U.S. Committee Chair Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., asked the two companies to answer more than a dozen detailed questions about the companies' corporate and financial connections with the Chinese government, in separate letters June 13 (here). The committee has been investigating the extent to which the companies give the Chinese government an opportunity for increased foreign espionage, threaten critical infrastructure, and further the opportunity for Chinese economic espionage. Rogers and Ruppersberger asked Huawei and ZTE executives specific questions about their companies' interactions with Chinese government officials; the funding they receive from Chinese agencies; the information they share with the Chinese government; their cybersecurity practices; and their business relationships with Iran, among other queries. Huawei Vice President-External Affairs Bill Plummer said the company welcomes the opportunity to "further enhance" the committee's understanding of the facts, "after which we look forward to re-focused attention to addressing the true threats to critical infrastructure from the global information and communications technology supply chain. Huawei shares concerns related to network security. We support universal and industry-wide solutions to effectively address cyber threats and vulnerabilities." ZTE did not comment.