Congress will closely scrutinize Canadian dairy concessions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership when considering implementation legislation for the pact, said Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., in a July 24 letter to Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., Gary Albert Doer. “The TPP negotiations are now in their final stages, and we understand that Canada has yet to indicate with respect to dairy that it is prepared to provide the level of market access required to reach a deal,” said the letter (here). “Our support for a final TPP agreement that includes Canada is contingent on Canada’s ability to meet the TPP’s high standards.” Lawmakers and agriculture groups have urged Canada to leave the talks unless it puts more U.S. market access on the table in TPP negotiations (see 1502050019). The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t respond for comment. TPP high-ranking officials are currently hammering out more details in the pact at the Maui ministerial (see 1507270006).
The Senate endorsed a preliminary vote to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank on July 26 in a rare weekend session for the chamber. Sixty-seven Senators voted in favor of "cloture," while 26 lawmakers opposed. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., offered the measure as an amendment to HR-22, the unrelated legislative vehicle for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill, known commonly as the highway bill. Post-cloture debate will expire late on July 27. Unless lawmakers reach a deal before that time expires, the chamber will hold a final vote on the amendment at roughly 10:00 p.m., said a spokesman for Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he'd oppose reauthorization in comments on the Senate floor before the vote. "Ex-Im is not necessary; at the same time, I understand that many senators on both sides take a different view," said McConnell. "Nearly half my Conference and many Democrats support the Ex-Im Bank’s reauthorization. They're entitled to that view. I don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t be allowed a debate, and then a vote, to sort this out either." The Senate's highway bill would cover a six-year period, but the House still insists on a short-term extension before the August recess.
Leading House opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) continue to voice skepticism about the effectiveness of the agreement during a call with reporters on July 23. With the TPP negotiations pending in Maui, some of the principal Democratic opponents to fast-track authority including Representatives Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.; Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.; Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.; Lloyd Doggett, D-Tex.; and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., outlined objections to the TPP.
House Republican leadership left Customs Reauthorization conference votes off the agenda for the upcoming week, despite recent calls in the Senate to wrap up the conference negotiations by August recess (see 1507160059). Congress is expected to depart the Capitol for a month-long recess on July 31. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., hedged his commitments in the schedule, however, saying the chamber could consider legislative items not explicitly on the agenda. A McCarthy spokesman didn’t respond for comment. Twenty-one House Democrats recently called for inclusion on the full ENFORCE Act in a compromise bill, as well as a number of other priorities (see 1507210020). The Senate tapped Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and five other Finance Committee members as conferees, but the House hasn’t yet followed suit. A spokeswoman for Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, said his office is still “hoping” to cement a compromise before August. Tiberi originally introduced the House customs bill (see 1504240021).
The House handily approved the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 on July 23. The legislation, which passed 275-150, aims to create “national, enforceable standards” for labeling food produced with genetically engineered plants, including imports (see 1507150014). Only 45 Democrats supported the bill.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., agreed to co-sponsor the Voluntary Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) and Trade Enhancement Act, introduced by Sens. John Hoeven, R-N. D., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, on July 23 (here). “This bill is a winner for Oregon farmers and for Oregon consumers,” Wyden said. “It ensures that consumers can continue to get the information they want about where their meat comes from, while also helping protect made-in-Oregon goods from Canadian and Mexican trade retaliation.”
The U.S. Trade Representative cited Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations as its main concern during a Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider deputy USTR nominee Marisa Lago on July 23 (here). Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he expects the deputy USTR to handle the bulk of future TPP negotiations (here). He pointed to intellectual property rights protections, strong investor-state dispute settlement provisions, market access opportunities for U.S. exporters," correspondence with the TPA digital trade law, and provisions to "ensure that state-owned enterprises act on a commercial basis" as among major issues within TPP negotiations. The USTR's priorities for TPP also include: "21st century provisions to promote the digital economy, provides ambitious market opening for Made in America products, including dairy, and contains strong, enforceable rules on labor and the environment," said Ranking Member Rob Wyden, D-Ore., (here).
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The House is set to debate the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, HR-1599, and several amendments July 23, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his daily schedule (here). The legislation, which passed out of committee with strong bipartisan support on July 14, is said to create “national, enforceable standards” for labeling food produced with genetically engineered plants, including imports (see 1507150014).
A dozen Senate Democrats urged Customs Reauthorization conferees in recent days to omit language in a final compromise bill on banning climate change provisions in free trade agreements. House Republicans added the provision into that chamber’s bill before ultimately the measure went to a vote in mid-June (see 1506150012). “This language is misplaced, ambiguous, and serves only to send the wrong message to the world on the seriousness of the United States on climate policy,” said the letter (here), led by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo.