Senator Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a statement following the President's October 21, 2011 signature of the U.S. trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea encouraging the administration to negotiate additional agreements to open more markets for U.S. goods. He said that this can only be accomplished by renewing Trade Promotion Authority and adds that if the President moves forward with a bold new trade agenda, Republicans in Congress will be willing partners. Senator Baucus (D-MT), Senate Finance Committee Chairman also commended the signature of the FTAs along with the Trade Adjustment Assistance extension, extensions of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA).
On October 21, 2011, the Senate confirmed four trade-related nominees: (1) Michael Punke - as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative - who has served in this capacity since a 2010 recess appointment and is the chief U.S. trade negotiator at the World Trade Organization; (2) Islam Siddiqui - as USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator - who has also served in this capacity under recess appointment since 2010; (3) Paul Piquado as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration; and (4) Janice Eberly as Assistant Treasury Secretary for Economic Policy. Senate Finance Committee Chair Baucus (D-MT) issued a statement applauding the appointments and listing their biographies.
On October 24, 2011 the House passed H.R. 2594, to prohibit operators of civil aircraft of the U.S. from participating in the European Union's emissions trading scheme. According to a Congressional Research Service summary, H.R. 2594 would direct the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit an operator of a U.S. civil aircraft from participating in any emissions trading scheme unilaterally established by the European Union. It would also direct the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and other appropriate U.S. government officials to use their authority to conduct international negotiations and take other actions necessary to ensure that operators of U.S. civil aircraft are held harmless from any such scheme.
On October 12, 2011, Representative Scalise (R-LA) and five co-sponsors introduced H.R. 3173 in the House to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to reform the process for the enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal of a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to require, in total, not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center.
On October 20, 2011, the Senate confirmed John Bryson's nomination to be the next Secretary of Commerce. The position had been vacant since former Commerce Secretary Gary Locke became U.S. Ambassador to China earlier in the year. President Obama states that Bryson will be a key member of his economic team, working with the business community to promote job creation, foster growth, and help open up new markets around the world for U.S.-made goods. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Rockefeller also issued a statement on the confirmation.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Camp (R-MI) has announced that the committee will hold a hearing on the U.S.-China economic relationship on October 25, 2011. The hearing will provide an opportunity for the Administration to explain its response to China’s trade-distorting practices and non-tariff barriers.
The State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman testified before the Senate Banking Committee on October 13, 2011 on the Administration's perspectives on the economic sanctions implemented against Iran last year. She discussed the successful effort in the UN Security Council to adopt Resolution 1929, which led to tougher multilateral sanctions against Iran. She also covered progress to date on the implementation of the 2010 Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA, which amended the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996), among other issues.
On October 12, 2011 the following bills were introduced:
The following are the trade-related hearings scheduled for October 17-22, 2011:
The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress on October 6- 13, 2011: