The World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), NAFTA, and U.S. bilateral free trade agreements with Australia, Colombia and South Korea bear general similarities in government procurement text and commitments, but show some differences that reflect newer technology, according to a Government Accountability Office report (here). Similarities could stem from concurrent negotiation of the GPA and other FTAs, the report said. The 2014 revised GPA overall provides wider market access than the FTAs that were reviewed; for example, the revised GPA covers 85 central U.S. government entities, but NAFTA covers only 53 U.S. government entities, the report said. GAO’s GPA review focused on the U.S. and trading partners with the top five GPA procurement markets -- the EU, Japan, Canada, South Korea and Norway. The report pointed out that Mexico and Canada don’t have a sub-central government entity coverage schedule in NAFTA, and that South Korea doesn’t have one in the Korea-U.S. FTA. For its report, GAO analyzed WTO and U.S. documents pertaining to the GPA and U.S. FTAs, and interviewed Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Commerce Department officials. GAO didn't make recommendations in the report.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman met with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., on Sept. 27, to discuss moving the Trans-Pacific Partnership forward in Congress, the full committee announced (here). Brady in a statement said he wants to find a path forward for the deal in Congress, but lamented potential final outcomes if the Obama administration fails to address Congress members’ remaining concerns. “The White House must quickly address existing concerns of members who serve both on and off our committee,” Brady said. “Without these substantive changes, the House will not have the votes to approve TPP, and American workers will continue to lose customers to other countries. The clock is ticking, and the White House must act soon.”

The House on Sept. 26 passed the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015, which would add several synthetic drug compounds to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (see 1609210050). The additions would take effect 30 days after the bill’s enactment. The legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Legislation recently introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., would require the executive branch to publish U.S. negotiating positions on a public website after every discussion round, throughout all free trade agreement negotiations, including new and past U.S. proposals. Under the Promoting Transparency in Trade Act (H.R. 6141), if a presidential administration fails to provide such updates, the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees could initiate resolutions that, if passed, would nullify the president’s fast-track trade authorities, thereby blocking final U.S. approval of trade agreements. Currently, Trade Promotion Authority only requires the president to notify or consult with Congress regarding negotiation objectives at least 90 days before the initiation of FTA talks. The bill defines a “negotiating round” as a meeting to negotiate trade agreements with all parties to the deal.

CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske will testify at the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee’s trade enforcement hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 27, the subcommittee said (here). Kerlikowske recently said a focus for the hearing would be child and forced labor goods (see 1609130052).

Lawmakers recently introduced the following trade-related bills:

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., introduced the Surface Transportation and Maritime Security Act on Sept. 21, geared partly to improve Transportation Security Administration hiring procedures and provide more independent oversight of background checks for TSA maritime port employees, the committee said (here). Specifically, the bill would require the TSA to fill gaps and improve screening of maritime workers, and would direct a third-party evaluation and “corrective action plan” to address deficiencies of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. TWIC is a mandated background check program for workers who must access secure areas of U.S. maritime facilities and vessels. “The majority of TSA activities focus on security at airports,” committee ranking member and bill co-sponsor Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said in a statement. “This bill says TSA should take into account all types of transportation when it comes to security and provides the agency with some tools needed to get it done.” The bill awaits the consideration of the committee.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Sept. 21 by unanimous voice vote reported out the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015, which would add several synthetic drug compounds to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The original legislation (H.R. 3537) (here) proposes to add 121 phenylalkylamines, 117 “cannabimimetic agents,” 16 arylcyclohexamines, 26 tryptamines, five benzodiazepines, 13 “opioids and opioid-like substances,” eight piperazines and two tropane alkaloids to Schedule I. Further, the committee by voice vote during markup adopted an amendment to the bill to add 22 more synthetic substances, including 11 more cannabimimetic agents, and three derivatives of fentanyl, to Schedule I. The additions would take effect 30 days after the bill’s enactment. The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.

Business leaders believe that a continued push for Trans-Pacific Partnership ratification can reverse congressional leaders’ doubts about holding a vote this year, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Vice President of International Economic Affairs Linda Dempsey said Sept. 21 during a press call. Lobbyists are working to secure votes from lawmakers who opposed Trade Promotion Authority but might “be able to support TPP,” she said. Still, there are a number of unanswered questions the Obama administration must address before anything goes forward, a Senate Finance Committee spokesperson said.

The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee on Sept. 27 will hold a 10 a.m. hearing on enforcement of U.S. trade laws, focusing specifically on CBP enforcement, optimizing the flow of legitimate trade and implementing the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, the subcommittee said (here). “Enforcing obligations in U.S. trade agreements, U.S. intellectual property rights, and antidumping and countervailing duty laws while streamlining legitimate trade prevents our competitors from gaining an unfair advantage,” subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said in a statement. “Our new law requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to modernize its systems, facilitate compliant trade, and intensify enforcement against cheaters to help American workers compete in the global marketplace. We will hold Customs accountable for this important work.” CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske last week said the hearing would touch on CBP's policy toward imports of child and forced labor goods (see 1609130052).