Camp Working to Move Trade Bills Before End of Congressional Session
The House is working to pass Customs Reauthorization legislation and a Miscellaneous Tariff Bill before the 114th Congress convenes in January, said House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., in a June 19 speech hosted by the Global Business Dialogue. Camp, who will forgo a reelection bid this year, also vowed to address African Growth and Opportunity Act renewal legislation, as well as a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) bill. “We’ve made considerable progress on a bipartisan, bicameral renewal of the GSP program, but we’re not there yet, particularly because of concerns about using our traditional offset,” said Camp. GSP renewal legislation was held up last July due to opposition to a pay-for mechanism in the bill (see 13073016).
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The Obama administration should not move forward with sealing a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement unless Japan concedes comprehensive tariff elimination on all agriculture products, said Camp. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., also said last week Congress will not endorse TPP implementation legislation if Japan refuses to completely eliminate all tariffs. Many industry analysts and lawmakers, however, admit Japan is politically unable or unwilling to slash all tariffs to zero (see 14061128).
But Camp vowed to oppose any TPP agreement if Congress fails to secure Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) before the administration presents both chambers with TPP implementation legislation. “To those who may discount my view, I can assure you that it is shared by my Ways and Means colleagues, our leadership, and a majority of members of Congress,” said Camp. “Even if TPA is not considered by Congress until the Lame Duck session, we must line up support now so we can move quickly after the elections.” Camp reiterated a call for increased Obama administration pressure on congressional Democrats to favor TPA.
Both House and Senate Democrats have voiced concerns with the TPA bill introduced in January, a measure co-sponsored by Camp. That legislation, which has not moved through committee, remains dead on arrival in the House, said Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and George Miller, D-Calif., in a joint statement following Camp’s remarks. “Voters did not send us to Congress to ship their jobs overseas, but that would be the result if we approved this rubber-stamp legislation and allowed the administration to muscle a flawed Trans-Pacific Partnership deal through,” said the joint statement. “The last TPA expired seven years ago this month, and we should leave it in the past.” During the June 19 remarks, Camp also echoed Obama administration and industry calls for comprehensive European Union tariff elimination through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, as well as removal of geographic indication barriers.