Senate Leaders Still Eye Quick Customs Compromise
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are still aiming for a quick compromise on Customs Reauthorization despite months without substantive updates and only vague calls for progress, Senators leading the effort to lock down a bill said in interviews on Oct. 20. A set of trade industry groups, led by the Express Association of America, recently prodded lawmakers to act on a customs bill, arguing de minimis and facilitation provisions in the bill provide a boon to traders (see 1510070016).
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Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said lawmakers are continuing to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills. “We’re working on it. We just have one or two things to do,” he said. “I think we can resolve the obstacles but we’ll see. My hope is we’ll get that done.” Hatch declined to discuss the details of the ongoing talks, and a spokeswoman for the Finance chairman later said the aim is to lock down a compromise by the end of the year.
Finance ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., signaled similar support to move quickly on the negotiations. A formal Customs Reauthorization conference hasn’t yet begun, but Hatch and Wyden, along with five other Senators, are designated as conferees. Lawmakers are angling to finalize the details of a compromise bill before officially launching the conference. The legislation is "hugely important" particularly in light of Obama administration plans to move forward with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said Wyden. A spokesman for Wyden said a deal "looks very close."
Senate lawmakers have largely negotiated a customs compromise with Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Wyden and Ryan spoke in recent days about the legislation, Wyden said. A spokesman for Ryan confirmed that discussion took place but declined to disclose details.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, also a conferee, called for an agreement "as soon as possible." But another conferee, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested the legislation may linger until there is legislative movement on TPP. "With everything else happening there hasn’t been much progress lately," said Schumer, referring to the broader legislative agenda. "TPP is not until next year and they usually go hand in hand." Schumer spearheaded efforts to include currency legislation in the Senate's customs bill that would allow the Commerce Department to impose countervailing duties on imports from currency manipulators (see 1507070066). House Republicans and the Obama administration have rejected that provision.