Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is stepping down from leadership but remaining in the Senate, defended free trade in a speech in his home state last week.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, which advocates for protecting American manufacturing, said the new Senate Finance Committee bill to restrict de minimis moves "things in the right direction," even more than the bill that passed the House Ways and Means Committee in the spring.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China urged the Commerce Department this week to investigate whether Chinese Wi-Fi router manufacturer TP-Link Technologies Co. Ltd. threatens U.S. national security.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged the Commerce Department this week to investigate whether the fast-growing online shopping platform Temu, which is owned by Chinese company PDD Holdings, is violating U.S. trade laws.
Reps. Josh Harder, D-Calif., and Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., introduced a bill Aug. 13 that would require canned foods to be clearly labeled with the country of origin.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged Congress this month to pass two bills aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., formally unveiled a widely anticipated bipartisan bill Aug. 8 that would restrict foreign goods from eligibility for de minimis shipments.
A bill recently introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., would renew the Generalized System of Preferences benefitsprogram through the end of 2029, while adding new eligibility criteria related to the environment, women’s and human rights, rule of law and digital trade barriers, according to a final text of the bill provided by her office. The bill, S-4915, is the same as a proposal that was passed by the Senate in 2021 as an amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 but never made it into law (see 2207190059).
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, hosted an event in Brooklyn, Ohio, last week to highlight his efforts to restrict Chinese goods from eligibility for de minimis shipments. The event included representatives of a local textile mill, law enforcement and others. Brown introduced a bill, the Import Security and Fairness Act, in June 2023 that would end China’s de minimis eligibility (see 2306150061). He also has urged the Biden administration to take executive action on the matter (see 2402260076).
Following the lead of House Select Committee on China members, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced a bill Aug. 1 to enhance criminal prosecutions for trade offenses.