The Senate voted March 10 to confirm Maria Pagan as deputy U.S. trade representative in USTR's Geneva office to serve as an ambassador to the World Trade Organization. Pagan joined USTR's staff in 2003, rising to deputy general counsel and aiding the agency across multiple administrations on a host of trade agreements and negotiations. Before joining USTR, Pagan was an attorney adviser in the Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the Commerce Department. During her confirmation hearing, Pagan said that reforming the WTO's Appellate Body is a top priority since the body's "overreaching has shielded China's non-market practices and hurt the interest of U.S. workers and businesses" (see 2111300063). She was confirmed by an 80-19 vote, with Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., not voting.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., introduced a bill that would allow for a one-year waiver of antidumping and countervailing duties "if there is an emergency situation including natural disasters, war, epidemics, labor disputes, or major accidents."
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., introduced a bill that would prohibit all trade with Russia, and then the next day, on March 9, introduced a bill that would prohibit the importation of nickel or copper from Russia. The latter bill has one co-sponsor, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association is asking House and Senate leadership to "expeditiously advance" a compromise China package by resolving differences between the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (America Competes) Act.
Democrats who lead the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis are asking major carriers for extensive documents and proprietary information, saying they have the authority to investigate price gouging and profiteering connected to the pandemic.
As rhetoric in Congress grew for banning Russian oil imports, the White House poured cold water on the idea. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said March 3 that "our objective ... has been to maximize impact on President Putin and Russia while minimizing impact to us and allies and partners. That would raise prices at the gas pump on the American people because it would reduce the supply available. And that is certainly a big factor for the president at this moment." She also said that sending more liquefied natural gas to Europe will help "accelerate its diversification from Russian gas." Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who introduced one of the bills that would ban crude oil imports, said 7% of America's oil comes from Russia (see 2203010044).
The House China package's trade title includes a major rewrite of antidumping duty and countervailing duty laws, but the Senate China package doesn't, so a conference committee from both chambers would have to agree to get the changes into law. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who co-sponsored the Senate bill colloquially known as Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0, said in a Capitol hallway interview that he thinks the chances of that happening are good.
Two Democrats and two Republicans in the House have introduced a bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security to offer third-party logistics providers slots in a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) pilot. The bill, introduced Feb. 25, would give 10 non-asset-based logistics companies and 10 logistics companies that use their own warehouses slots in the pilot program, which would be required to last at least one year and as many as five years. The department would have to open applications for the pilot within the first year after the bill's enactment. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Steve Womack, R-Ark., and Elaine Luria, D-Va., co-sponsored the bill.
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which has both passed the House and was included in the House version of a China package, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee next month. The hearing will be March 3.
House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee told U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai that she needs to provide "a detailed analysis" of how China did or did not live up to the phase one trade deal. "We have great confidence in your abilities to address the many challenges China presents to the United States and other market economies, and we hope you will expand detailed communication on these matters so that Congress and the Administration can be partners in developing effective U.S. responses," they wrote Feb. 24.