Brady Says GSP Should Move With Caribbean Basin Renewal
The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee said he thinks renewing the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act this month is very important. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, didn't say whether it could move as a suspension bill or as part of a continuing resolution package, but said either way, he would support it.
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Brady, who was responding to a question from International Trade Today on a conference call Sept. 2, said he believes renewing the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program “is just as urgent.” GSP expires at the end of the year, but Brady noted that no one knows how long the lame duck session will be.
He said he's talking with committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., who has the power to move the bills, but said that if he were running the show, “I would send both CBTPA and GSP up at the same time.” The administration has expressed reservations about GSP, over the fact that countries get tariff benefits from the U.S. but don't offer any tariff benefits of their own.
Beth Hughes, vice president for trade policy at the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said in an interview Sept. 1 that given what U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said during congressional hearings and in his follow-up responses, GSP is “the biggest one we’re concerned might not have 100% support.” In contrast, she sees CBTPA as non-controversial.
Brady said he's aware of the administration's complaints about GSP, but said he hopes their desire for reforms “don’t stand in the way of its extension.” He acknowledged that there's not really time to rewrite the law before the end of the year.