The Senate confirmed Kevin McAleenan as commissioner of CBP on March 19 in a 77-19 vote. McAleenan became acting commissioner when the Trump administration began (see 1611090035) and his nomination had been pending since May of 2017. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen congratulated McAleenan in a tweet, while trade groups, including the U.S. Council of International Business, the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America and Airlines for America, celebrated the confirmation in news releases. “Imports are essential to the success of the apparel and footwear industry and our ability to employ nearly four million Americans and provide affordable products for American families," AAFA CEO Rick Helfenbein said in an emailed release. "CBP is an invaluable partner to our business, both in terms of supporting lawful trade and preventing the import of counterfeit products." Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, also said he was pleased with the confirmation, in a news release.
A few more Congress members are joining Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee's efforts to limit the president's discretion to impose tariffs and quotas (see 1702100043), with a companion House bill introduced on March 15. The same day, a letter was issued to Congress members, asking them to sign on to the House or Senate bill, arguing, "U.S. economic growth is now threatened by new tariffs on steel and aluminum used by U.S. manufacturers, along with repeated threats to terminate reciprocal zero-tariff trade agreements that benefit the United States."
Environmental standards and labor issues must be part of future free-trade agreements, and countries that pay "sub-standard wages" and have substandard environmental practices should be subject to "antidumping" duties, say Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. The two introduced S. 2566, the Level the Playing Field in Global Trade Act of 2018, on March 15.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be testifying in front of the Senate Finance Committee one day after he testifies at the House Ways and Means Committee (see 1803150027). "I have made clear that tariffs are nothing but a tax on American businesses and consumers and I look forward to discussing with Ambassador Lighthizer how the administration can mitigate the damage they cause," Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in his announcement of the March 22 hearing.
The Senate is scheduled to consider the nomination of Kevin McAleenan for CBP commissioner on March 19 at 5:30 p.m., according to the Senate calendar. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged "everyone to join me in voting for his confirmation when we return on Monday," while speaking on the Senate floor March 15, according to the Congressional Record.
The House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled two hearings for next week to hear from top trade officials from the Trump administration. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will testify at a hearing on the trade policy agenda on March 21, the committee said in a press release. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is scheduled to testify on March 22 about recent trade actions, including the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, the committee said in another release.
Correction: Senate action on Kevin McAleenan's nomination for CBP commissioner isn't expected until later in the week (see 1803090014) after it considers banking regulation legislation, said a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Ohio's two senators -- Rob Portman, a Republican, and Sherrod Brown, a Democrat -- and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to add certain steel assemblies to the tariff list. Their March 8 letter was "on behalf of AK Steel," the last domestic producer of grain-oriented electrical steel, the lawmakers said. That specialty steel is on the list, but "we are concerned unless you include a handful of additional tariff lines, foreign products that are essentially just electrical steel sheets stacked, wound and slit ... the remedy will be ineffective for electrical steel." A Commerce Department official said they are reviewing the request to add 8504.90.9634, laminations; 8504.90.9638, cores; and 8504.90.9642, core assemblies.
The Senate is scheduled to consider the nomination of Kevin McAleenan for CBP commissioner on March 12, according to the Senate calendar. McAleenan will be considered under "unanimous consent," which is an indication the vote isn't controversial and likely to be approved. The Senate Finance Committee approved McAleenan's nomination in December, but rules dictated the nomination be sent back to the White House since the Senate did not act on it before the session of Congress ended (see 1801050008).
The House Homeland Security Committee recommended a bill that requires the Department of Homeland Security to do a comprehensive review and security assessment of the Transportation Security Administration's Known Shipper program. The Air Cargo Security Act, H.R. 4176, asks if the program should be eliminated, "considering the full implementation of 100 percent screening." The House bill directs TSA to establish an air cargo security division with at least four employees, but says those people would have to come from within the agency's existing staffing.