Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions
"Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions" is a regular feature of International Trade Today. The following are brief summaries of recent Capitol Hill actions.
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Consolidated Appropriations Conference Report Passed by Senate
On December 13, 2009, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act conference report (H.R. 3288) which includes FY 2010 appropriations for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. (The House passed the H.R. 3288 conference report on December 10, 2009.)
Republican Leaders Urge President to Act Quickly on FTAs
House Republican Leader Boehner has issued a press release announcing that following up on a December 9, 2009 discussion at the White House on the importance of trade to creating more U.S. jobs, House Republican Leaders sent a letter to the President urging swift action on pending trade agreements to Colombia, Panama and South Korea to help create jobs and offering their support to help his efforts to approve these trade agreements.
Senate Finance Leaders Call for Increased Access to Indian Market
The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee have issued a statement calling for improved access for U.S. agricultural products to the Indian market
following the December 11, 2009 release of an International Trade Commission (ITC) report showing Indian tariff and nontariff measures are a serious impediment to U.S. agricultural exports.
Statement on Impact of Stimulus on Transportation Projects
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Oberstar (D) has issued a statement regarding the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (i.e., economic stimulus bill). According to Chairman Oberstar, the Act has already resulted in almost 7,900 highway and transit projects breaking ground.
Trade-Related Bill Introduced on December 11, 2009
On December 11, 2009, the following trade-related bill was introduced:
| GSP and ATPA/ATPDEA extension | H.R. 4284. A bill to extend the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act, and for other purposes |
If it is determined that any of the above Congressional actions, hearings, or bills warrant more in-depth coverage, such information will be provided separately in a future issue of International Trade Today.