On October 13, 2010, Senator Baucus (D), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, met with China’s Vice President and Commerce Minister to urge them to resolve persistent issues in the U.S.-China economic relationship including China’s currency undervaluation, intellectual property right infringement, indigenous innovation policies and unscientific restrictions on U.S. beef. Baucus also went to the People’s Bank of China to meet with the chief regulator of China’s currency, to discuss China’s currency undervaluation.
Shortly before to its adjournment for the November 2010 elections, the Senate had been considering S. 3454, its National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011.
Senator Baucus (D), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, delivered a speech in Beijing on October 13, 2010 before the U.S.-China Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in which he discussed the recent passage by the House of legislation designed to correct the China currency imbalance (H.R. 2378) and noted that the Senate is poised to follow suit.
On October 12, 2010, Senators Grassley (R) and Hatch (R), the two most senior Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, asked the Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative to take action to stop China’s discriminatory duties on U.S. poultry products.
On October 8, 2010, President Obama signed into law S. 3847, the Security Cooperation Act of 2010. The Act implements Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia and amends other national security-related authorities.
On October 5, 2010, the President signed into law H.R. 1517, which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to convert certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who serve under an overseas limited appointment for at least 2 years to a permanent appointment in the competitive service. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/24/10 news, 10092409, for BP summary announcing that the House passed the Senate version of this bill.)
On October 6, 2010, Senator Lincoln (D), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, hosted U.S. Trade Representative Kirk, at a series of meetings in Arkansas to discuss trade issues important to creating jobs and growing Arkansas’s economy.
On October 5, 2010, Congressman Dingell (D) appeared before the International Trade Commission to urge that antidumping duties on imported Chinese furniture be continued.
On October 5, 2010, the U.S. Trade Representative sent letters to House Speaker Pelosi (D) and Senate President Pro Tempore Inouye (D) informing Congress that the Administration intends to include Malaysia in the ongoing negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
On September 29, 2010, Representative Hare (D) and six cosponsors1 introduced H.R. 6262, the Jobs Through Procurement Act, to stimulate job creation by directing Federal government procurement to domestic sources, to ensure the enforcement of domestic sourcing requirements, to prohibit the procurement of sweatshop goods by the U.S., and for other purposes.