Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bill since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should contest the European Union on new labeling requirements for Israeli goods produced in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in line with congressional anti-boycott directives included in Trade Promotion Authority, said a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers in a Nov. 12 letter (here) to USTR Michael Froman. The EU doesn’t recognize those territories as lawfully Israeli, nor do a range of countries globally.
Final approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership may not happen for years, a member of the Republican Senate leadership told reporters on Nov. 10. “There’s a pretty big school of thought this is not going to happen on this administration’s watch, that it’ll be a 2017 issue,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., third-ranking member of GOP leadership and chairman of the Commerce Committee. “I think there are objections on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, for very different reasons. But that’s going to make it I think fairly difficult to thread the needle. We have six years to do it, probably better sooner rather than later.” The trade deal involves several different nations, and the Obama administration released the text of many chapters last week (see 1511060028). President Barack Obama can sign the deal 90 days after the release. That signature would then set up a subsequent period of congressional review. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the front-runners for the Democratic nomination, oppose the deal, as does real estate developer Donald Trump, vying for the GOP nomination. The digital economy is one of the two areas Thune is “most interested in,” he said, saying he and his staff will be “probably very focused on the digital economy” in addition to agriculture issues. He didn’t say how he would eventually vote when the deal comes before Congress. “If we’re going to do it, I think it’s always better to get these new provisions in place that open up access to a lot of our producers and businesses to markets that they don’t have access to today,” Thune said of potentially moving to enact the deal sooner rather than later.
The Senate approved a motion to launch legislative conference on a long-term highway bill on Nov. 10 by unanimous consent. That move follows a House vote to endorse conference roughly one week ago (see 1511050036). The chamber also voted 56-31 in favor of a measure, offered by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to reject federal law that requires states to allow truckers to haul two 33-foot trailers (here).
Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, is "considering all of his options" as the committee prepares for a potential mix-up of subcommittee chairs, his spokeswoman said on Nov. 10. Tiberi recently lost his bid for the Ways and Means gavel to Health Subcommittee chief Kevin Brady, R-Texas (see 1511040063). The House Republican conference elected Brady to the top Ways and Means post on Nov. 5.
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The House overwhelmingly passed in a 363-64 vote its surface transportation funding bill on Nov. 4. The chamber debated and voted on more than 100 amendments. House lawmakers shot down efforts to reform the Export-Import Bank, require use of customs fees for border and trade facilitation functions and increase the permitted weight of cargo trucks, among other high-profile actions (see 1511050015 and 1511040001). The chamber also voted to move forward with an inter-chamber legislative conference. The Senate passed its version of the bill in July (see 1507300052). House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., lauded the highway bill process, saying it shows a different style of governing in the chamber under his leadership. “Over these last four days, the House has debated more amendments that the last four months combined,” said Ryan.
Ways and Means Democrats will launch a series of “in-depth public hearings” beginning the week of Nov. 16 to analyze the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said committee ranking member Sandy Levin, D-Mich., on Nov. 4. The hearings, which Levin’s office only vaguely described, will cover a broad range of TPP terms, according to a committee release (here). “Multiple sessions will be held weekly,” the release said. The majority party in each chamber convenes formal congressional hearings. Still, "they'll be hearings - witnesses, members, questions and answers," said a spokeswoman for Levin. "They'll be in hearing rooms or other meeting rooms as available."
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers blocked a number of amendments to reform the Export-Import Bank during Nov. 4 debate on the House’s highway bill. House Democratic leadership applauded those defeats. The Senate legislation contains Ex-Im reauthorization (see 1507300052), and House Republican leadership plans to complete the highway debate and move to conference on Nov. 5, said the office of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Conference is the inter-chamber process of resolving differences between two bills. “With legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank included in the highway bill, House and Senate conferees can now move forward on completing a final version that will protect export-driven jobs,” said Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. But Hoyer urged the Senate to follow the House in passing standalone Ex-Im legislation. The House approved Ex-Im authorization in late October (see 1510290073). “We need not wait for conferees to meet,” said Hoyer. “I urge [Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.] to bring to the Senate Floor the standalone Export-Import Bank reauthorization that the House passed last week by a vote of 313-118 so it can reach the President’s desk without delay.” Current highway funding mandates expire on Nov. 20.
The House passed legislation on Nov. 2 to improve U.S. collaboration with global partners to combat wildlife trafficking. The Global Anti-Poaching Act, HR-2494 (here), directs the administration, led by the State Department, to report on the largest trafficking countries globally. The bill also boosts training of wildlife specialists in the U.S. and abroad. "This vital legislation holds foreign governments accountable by ‘naming and shaming’ the worst violators and adds greater consequences for traffickers in this illicit trade," said Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., in a statement following passage. "And it presses the Administration to continue to provide important security assistance to African park rangers.”