The Trans-Pacific Partnership could be the benchmark for global trade rules in the future, as the World Trade Organization Doha agenda still teeters on the verge of collapse, said National Pork Producers Council President Howard Hill to the House Agriculture Committee on March 18 (here). Trade Promotion Authority is essential to locking down the best deal possible, said Hill, along with other agriculture producers, in testimony.
Sens. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., aim to strengthen U.S. enforcement of trade violations through new legislation that would make permanent the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center, the two lawmakers said in a March 17 statement (here). President Barack Obama established the ITEC through 2012 executive action. Law enforcement officials say the center provides a critical platform to crack down on counterfeit goods (see 1502250074).
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Labor Secretary Tom Perez will meet privately with House Democrats on March 18 for a classified briefing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said House Democratic staffers in recent days. Members are allowed to bring one staff member with clearance to view classified material, said the staffers.
The Sierra Club pushed Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., to oppose Trade Promotion Authority in an advertisement campaign that will run through April 26, the organization said in a press release (here). Polis has a history of small business ownership and entrepreneurship, and several months ago he teamed up with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to urge congressional leadership to strengthen digital economy provisions in TPA (see 14050632).
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tapped Greta Milligan Peisch to serve as international trade counsel (here). Peisch previously worked as chief counsel for negotiations in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She will work under Jayme White, Wyden’s chief trade adviser, said a Wyden spokesman.
Congress should pass Trade Promotion Authority "as quickly as possible this year" in order to remove foreign export barriers so that total cheese trade between the U.S. and its partners can thrive, said Cheese Importers Association of America President Dominique Delugeau in a March 11 letter to congressional leadership (here). "Clearly the willingness of the United States to import products from other nations has a direct impact on their willingness to import products from our nation," said Delugeau. The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are critical in achieving that free commercial flow, Delugeau said.
The Treasury Department leveled another batch of Ukraine-related sanctions against a number of individuals and two companies on March 11, in accordance with President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13660 (here). Secretary of State John Kerry threatened more sanctions in late February, after the U.S. accused Russia of continuing to fuel conflict in Ukraine in the face of a ceasefire accord (see 1502220005). Assistant State Secretary Victoria Nuland told Congress on March 10 Russia and Ukrainian separatists are maintaining a “reign of terror” in the Crimean region and eastern Ukraine, even as the Ukrainian conflict moves further into its second year (here). Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control blocked property for the following individuals and added them to the Specially Designated Nationals List (Treasury didn’t list nationalities for several of the individuals):
The U.S. will jeopardize protection for American intellectual property if it fails to lock down the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, said House Ways and Means Republicans in a March 11 blog post (here). “Merchandise exports of IP-intensive industries account for more than 60 percent of total U.S. merchandise exports,” said the blog. “Protecting intellectual property leads to a stronger American economy -- one that continues to drive innovation. And when we sign trade agreements with other countries, they agree to protect our intellectual property. In other words, everyone must follow the rules.” The committee also again pushed for Trade Promotion Authority in the blog.