On March 15, 2012, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the implications for the U.S. of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Committee Chairman Baucus (D-MT) and private sector witnesses favored the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik's application to Russia and establishment of permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to the country. Baucus stated that Russia is the largest economy currently outside the WTO and the sixth-largest economy in the world. To allow U.S. businesses and exporters to benefit from Russia's WTO accession, Baucus and others stated that Congress must act soon.

The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress for March 1 - 14, 2012:

On March 14, 2012, the Coalition for Sugar Reform submitted testimony to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, lambasting the current sugar program as outmoded and counterproductive, and calling for its abolishment or revamp in the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill. According to the testimony, U.S. sugar subsidies hurt consumers by artificially raising prices, hurt small businesses by artificially restricting supplies, and hurt workers by encouraging relocation of manufacturing facilities offshore. The Coalition stated that, due to changes to the sugar subsidy regime in the 2008 Farm Bill, U.S. sugar prices are currently at record highs and are substantially higher than world prices.

On March 14, 2012, the Senate passed S. 1813, a bill to reauthorize the Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for two years. The bill, also known as Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), would maintain funding at current levels, indexed for inflation, among other things. Press reports indicate that the House must take up the bill quickly, as current highway funding expires on March 31, 2012.

At two separate Congressional hearings on March 7, 2012, representatives of the American Association of Port Authorities emphasized the need for federal support for seaport security and maintenance improvements to federal navigation channels, noting the challenges that underfunding security and dredging pose for national security and U.S. international competitiveness.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Representative Broun (R-GA) have introduced identical bills, the "Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures (FOCUS) Act of 2012," which they say would remove each and every reference to "foreign law" pertaining to wildlife, fish, and plants within the Lacey Act and replace its criminal penalties with a reasonable civil penalty system. According to Paul, "it is long overdue that the Lacey Act be revised to address its broad overcriminalization." Representative Broun adds that the FOCUS Act has bipartisan support.

On March 14, 2012, the Senate will continue its consideration of S. 1813, a bill to reauthorize the Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for two years. While a vote on the bill was scheduled for March 13, 2012, the Senate instead only considered amendments. The Senate has scheduled a vote on the bill for the morning of March 14, 2012. Press reports indicate that, after the Senate approves the bill, the House must take it up quickly, as current highway funding expires on March 31, 2012.

On March 8, 2012, seven U.S. Senate Finance Committee members urged U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to preserve the highest standards of protection for trade secrets in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. According to the letter, which was spearheaded by Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Committee member John Kerry (D-MA), trade secrets are among the most valuable assets for many companies, particularly start-ups and SMEs since, unlike patents, they can be protected without registration or other formalities. The letter states that foreign governments have become adept at developing policies which effectively undermine the value of trade secret protection in order to advance national policy goals, at the expense of U.S. industry.

On March 13, 2012, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1813, a bill that would reauthorize the Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for two years. According to the Senate, several amendments would be voted on during March 13 debate, culminating with a vote on the bill. On March 8, 2012 three amendments were adopted by the Senate, including one on special measures against foreign jurisdictions that impede U.S. tax enforcement.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on March 15, 2011 on the implications of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization on the U.S. The President, U.S. Trade Representative, and Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) have recently commented on this issue and called on Congress to terminate the application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to the country so that U.S. companies can take advantage of Russia's WTO accession.