Americans for Prosperity is praising a bill introduced by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., which would eliminate most favored nation (MFN) tariffs and Section 301, Section 232 or any other punitive additional duty on 87 tariff lines that cover personal protective equipment. If the bill were to become law, it would eliminate tariffs through the end of 2022. “In a time of crisis, our leaders should be doing everything possible to remove barriers which diminish ease of access to those things that will keep us safe, preserve our livelihoods, and save American lives. With COVID-19 still looming and flu season fast approaching, we applaud Senator Toomey for introducing this measure to correct misguided policies which would impose tariffs on goods so directly linked to the wellbeing of American families and workers during these unprecedented times,” said Brent Gardner, chief government affairs officer at AFP. He urged Congress to take up the bill, which was first introduced just before the August recess.
Two Democrats and a Republican introduced a resolution that opposes including apparel, textile and footwear products under the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, because of their fears that expanding GSP product eligibility would hurt Caribbean, African and Latin American apparel producers. Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.J., posted a press release Oct. 6 saying that keeping apparel out of GSP works to strengthen Western Hemisphere supply chains and confront “a rising China.”
Fifty senators, including 42 of 53 Republicans, wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week, asking that the administration “begin the formal process of negotiating a comprehensive trade agreement with Taiwan.” The first step of the formal process would be notifying Congress, then soliciting input into negotiating priorities.
Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., and Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to lift the 25% Section 301 tariffs on Chinese hand sanitizer, suggesting that 301 exclusions for pump parts or other imports for American hand sanitizer manufacturers is not sufficient. They said that the ad hoc sanitizer manufacturing that has sprung up does not include ingredients to make sanitizers that have a gel or foam consistency, and that a more liquid form is not as effective. “There have been various other reports of quality problems in the industry, including a surge in reports of sanitizers containing dangerous contaminants, such as methanol and 1-propanol, that can be poisonous when absorbed through the skin or ingested. The list of FDA-recalled hand sanitizers due to unsafe and potentially lethal ingredients is rapidly growing; in June there were nine recalled sanitizers, and in only two months the list has grown to 165 recalled sanitizers,” they wrote recently.
The Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act passed the Senate 3.5 hours before expiration, but because the White House has not signed the bill, the benefits expired after midnight on Sept. 30. American Apparel and Footwear Association CEO Steve Lamar thanked the Senate for moving the CBTPA so quickly after the House passed a 10-year renewal. He urged President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law quickly.
A task force led by Republican House members recommended more trade agreements, engagement at the World Trade Organization, and “a strategic plan for Phase Two negotiations” with China to address distorting subsidies, dominance of state-owned enterprises that dictate the terms of trade and data, and forced tech transfer and joint venture requirements. It also said the U.S. should be aggressive in enforcing the China phase one agreement, particularly on forced tech transfer, intellectual property and barriers to agriculture imports.
A bill that instructs CBP to use manifest data to enhance targeting of de minimis shipments -- with a particular focus on China -- passed the House of Representatives Sept. 29. The Consumer Product Safety Inspection Enhancement Act says that CBP would need to start the enhanced screening of consumer products within 18 months of the law's signing. The bill says that CBP should use the participating government agencies message set, property rights seizure data, and certificates of compliance to do risk assessments for products that could violate consumer product safety standards.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said all 100 senators were being called on Sept. 29, and if none of them oppose renewing the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, it could pass Sept. 29 or 30. The trade preference program expires Oct. 1. Grassley told International Trade Today during a Sept. 29 call with reporters that he won't know if it can pass before expiration until all the senators weigh in.
Seven senators who represent rice-growing constituents, led by Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., are asking U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to remove rice from the list of eligible products under the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program. The six senators from Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana along with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, signed the Sept. 21 letter. “Over the past several years, we have seen an annual uptick in rice imports from countries that have GSP eligibility,” they wrote. “Coupled with our competitors’ high and rising domestic subsidies, these unfair advantages are having negative implications for our rice farmers, millers, merchants and allied businesses, who are losing domestic market share.”
A bill that would change the presumption of guilt for goods coming from China's Xinjiang region passed the House of Representatives on a 406-3 vote Sept. 22. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., an original co-sponsor of the bill, spoke on the floor of the House before the vote. He said “creating a rebuttable assumption” of forced labor in all Xinjiang products is the most important part of the bill.