The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative continues to use Census Bureau export data that includes “re-exports” to mask the growing deficit with South Korea, said four House Democrats in a May 9 joint statement. USTR has the option to use U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) data that removes “re-exports,” but chooses not to, said Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., George Miller, D-Calif., Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. and Paul Tonko, D-N.Y. Moreover, USTR is touting the allegedly flawed export figures to sell the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), they said.
The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee should schedule a vote on legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank, said Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., in a May 7 letter. “Considering a majority of Senators support the Ex-Im Bank and its reauthorization is imperative, we see no reason to delay this vote," said the letter. "After all, if we do not reauthorize the bank, the U.S. stands to lose over one million jobs and billions of dollars in exports. At a time when our economy’s recovery remains fragile, it would be foolish to weaken this shining example of a successful public-private partnership.” The bank’s charter expires on Sept. 30, but reauthorization faces stiff resistance in the House (see 14050533). The committee aims to take up legislation in the near future, said a committee spokeswoman. "Reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank is a priority for the Banking Committee and we are currently working to reach agreement on a bipartisan bill that we hope to move soon," said the spokeswoman.
Russian graduation from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) may give some momentum for renewal of the program in general, though Congressional action remains uncertain, said Scott Miller, Scholl chair in international business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The change will not significantly impact bilateral trade or the value of the GSP program, said Miller. U.S. importers could have only saved between $7-8 million on duty-free Russian imports since GSP expiration on July 31, 2013, said Miller.
The Obama administration aims to incorporate strong intellectual property rights for agriculture products in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, including increased trademark enforcement for U.S. brands, geographical indicator limitations and biotechnology and nanotechnology patent protection, said Darci Vetter during May 8 testimony before the Senate Finance Committee. Vetter is nominated to be chief agriculture negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The committee also reviewed the nomination of Stefan Selig for undersecretary of Commerce for international trade during the hearing.
Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include:
A top Justice Department official called on Congress to pass laws that toughen penalties for wildlife traffickers, during a panel discussion at the District of Columbia Bar Association on May 7. Bob Dreher, acting assistant attorney general-Environment and Natural Resources Division at DOJ, said the agency is working hard to fight wildlife trafficking, including by vigorous enforcement, training and capacity building in foreign countries, and implementation of the Obama administration’s National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking (see 14021126). But Congress can give it more tools by strengthening existing laws and adopting new legislation, said Dreher.
The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014 falls short of ensuring internet-related service and goods trade is sufficiently protected, said Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Jared Polis, D-Colo. and five other lawmakers in a letter submitted to House Ways and Means and Senate Finance leadership on May 6. The legislation, the most recent iteration of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) introduced in both chambers in January, mandates U.S. trade agreements include intellectual property protection “similar” to U.S. law (see 14030520). But the legislation fails to emphasize the "vision of the importance of the internet throughout its provisions,“ said the letter. “In addition to ensuring that these provisions of our law are exported, we encourage you to include specific language directing negotiators to export copyright limitations, exceptions and safe harbors, which enable online business and the Internet community to thrive.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., recently vowed to propose alternate TPA legislation (see 14040919). His office did not immediately respond for comment on the its copyright provisions.
The Senate Finance Committee will consider the nomination of Stefan Selig as Commerce Department under secretary for international trade during a May 8 hearing, the committee announced on May 6. The committee added Selig to a list of other administration nominations up for consideration at the hearing, including Darci Vetter as chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (see 14050221). President Barack Obama announced Selig's nomination in November 2013 (see 13110821).
The Obama administration should continue to impose “narrow” sanctions on individuals and firms in Russian financial, energy and defense sectors, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., in opening remarks at a May 6 hearing on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The administration should specifically target energy exporting companies Rosneft and Gazprom, who have manipulated Ukrainian energy price and supply, and weapons exporter Rosoboron, added Menendez.
The Highway Trust Fund requires $100 billion to maintain solvency over the next years, the timeframe needed to allocate infrastructure responsibility to states, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at an May 6 committee hearing on the fund. The fund is critical to improving American roads, bridges and other infrastructure, to stay commercially competitive with foreign nations, said Wyden. “By any calculus, our investments in infrastructure lag way behind our competitors’. China, for example, invests 8.5 percent of its GDP in infrastructure, and in some parts of Canada, they’re investing 10 percent,” said Wyden (here). “The U.S. invests only 1.7 percent. No American can be happy with the prospect that it’s easier to move goods from a Chinese factory to a Chinese port than from an American factory to an American port. That’s what’s at risk.”