President Barack Obama supports passage of the omnibus appropriations bill released on Dec. 9, despite some concerns about specific riders in the legislation, said the White House on Dec. 11 (here). The vast majority of the federal government will shut down on Dec. 12 if a bill isn't signed into law beforehand. The House and Senate are expected to consider the legislation later in day on Dec. 11. The bill would fund the government through Sept. 30, 2015 at slightly boosted appropriations levels for the Commerce Department’s trade arms and other government agencies, but would only fund the Department of Homeland Security through late February (see 1412100012).
The Obama administration has an opportunity in the coming months to broker a breakthrough agreement with Iran over its nuclear enrichment program, and that compromise could further open the Iranian market to U.S. airplane, airplane parts, agriculture and other U.S. exports, said Iran expert Barbara Slavin at a National Foreign Trade Council event on Dec. 5. The interim deal struck between the two sides partially unlocked market access in Iran for those industry sectors, as well as petrochemicals. A more comprehensive, final accord is far from certain, however, and some lawmakers are threatening to eliminate progress in the talks by introducing more sanctions legislation, said Slavin, alongside NFTC President Bill Reinsch and USA*Engage Vice President Richard Sawaya. The Obama administration extended through June 2015 partial relief of the sanctions regime against Iran (see 1411280032). The two sides could reach a deal aimed at limiting enrichment capacity by March though, said Slavin, a nonresident senior fellow of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has long been hawkish in his stance on Iran, and the Obama administration may find a better partner in incoming committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Slavin. Obama has threatened to veto additional Iran sanctions measures.
President Barack Obama plans nominate the head of The Hershey Company, John Bilbrey, as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, the White House said in recent days (here). The committee, comprised of 21 industry and union leaders, reports regularly to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (here). Bilbrey has served as president of Hershey since 2011.
President Barack Obama will reject any appropriations legislation that prevents implementation of his recent executive order on deportation limitations, said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Dec. 1, while insisting Obama prefers a complete omnibus funding package. The stopgap appropriations measure passed in September runs its course on Dec. 11, so Congress has a maximum of eight legislative days, including Dec. 1, to pass another funding bill. Some Republican lawmakers have floated the idea of passing an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015 that puts Department of Homeland Security funding on a different, short-term timeframe. A complete omnibus bill would help to “eliminate any uncertainty,” said Earnest. DHS administers deportations of immigrants, and funding withdrawal for the agency may impact implementation of Obama’s executive order. Congress provides the CBP funding through DHS appropriations.
President Barack Obama signed into law the Government Reports Elimination Act of 2014, the White House said Nov. 26 (here). The law (here) eliminates several previously required government reports, some of which involve trade. For example, the law does away with CBP reporting requirements related to illegal imports of products made with dog or cat fur, the biennial Port of Entry Infrastructure Assessment Study and fees for customs services, according to a summary (here).
President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that lets device manufacturers include a required Federal Communications Commission label digitally rather than on the physical device, the White House said Nov. 26 (here). The House passed a Senate version of the bill (here) earlier this month (see 1411140039). According to the bill, U.S. manufacturers and consumers of FCC licensed devices "would prefer to have the option to provide or receive important Commission labeling information digitally on the screen of the device and such an option "would give flexibility to manufacturers in meeting labeling requirements." Within nine months, the FCC is required to "promulgate regulations or take other appropriate action, as necessary, to allow manufacturers of radiofrequency devices with display the option to use electronic labeling for the equipment" in place of affixing physical labels to the equipment.
After seven months of unsuccessful labor negotiations at the West Coast ports, federal mediation "is now the only way to avoid work stoppage," said the Airforwarders Association in a letter to President Barack Obama (here). "Recently we have become aware of shippers who have diverted their cargo to non-U.S. ports in an effort to avoid the possible port labor disruption," the letter said. "Such diversions deprive Americans of needed jobs while handing such work to foreign competitors." The slowed cargo handling at the ports has also resulted in substantial costs, the AfA said. Recently, industry groups, including the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, also asked for federal mediation (see 1411070010).
The U.S., Japan and Australia vowed to work together on Nov. 16 to tackle a range of global security concerns, as well as maritime disputes, but the joint statement made only a passing mention of boosting “free trade and investment” in the region (here). The three countries are critical economies in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the U.S.-Japanese disagreement over agricultural market access in the pact shows no signs of immediate resolution. Obama met with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brisbane. The U.S. and World Trade Organization partners over recent days laid the groundwork for wrapping up WTO agreements on information technology and trade facilitation, but TPP leaders only vaguely committed to continuing talks after a summit in Beijing (here). Obama said TPP negotiators "continue to make progress" in a Nov. 16 press conference in Brisbane. The president arrived home in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17 after a week-long diplomatic tour through the Asia-Pacific.
President Barack Obama extended for one year the national emergency that has provided the foundation for sanctions against Iran for decades (here). Executive Order 12170, declared by former President Jimmy Carter in 1979, identified Iran as a security threat to the U.S.
The U.S. and Myanmar struck a deal on Nov. 14 to boost labor rights protections in the Southeast Asian country, the White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced. The U.S. will join Japan, Denmark and the International Labor Organization in helping improve Myanmar’s labor regime through a multi-year legislative reform process and capacity building efforts, the Obama administration said. “The labor reform plan developed under this Initiative is intended to serve as a blueprint to prioritize legal changes, coordinate donor assistance, and strengthen government capacity to implement those reforms in close cooperation with civil society representatives,” said the White House in a statement (here). President Barack Obama is currently in Myanmar for talks with regional leaders, and he is set to arrive in Australia for the G20 meeting on Nov. 15. The labor reform plan will be formally drafted in early 2015, said USTR (here).