House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., speaking March 5 at the American Enterprise Institute about the path to pass a tax cuts extension and spending cuts bill, said that tariff revenue will help to pay down government debt, even if it's not part of the legislative package.
The House Committee on Homeland Security issued its oversight plan for the year, and only mentioned trade once, when it wrote that it plans to "review the Department’s efforts to better facilitate legitimate trade and travel with updates to trusted traveler programs and expansion of CBP Preclearance locations."
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., introduced the Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act, with the aim of stopping what he called unfair subsidies in India and China for their domestic rice farmers. He was joined on the bill by Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., John Boozman, R-Ark., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.
Senators and witnesses called for greater protection for shipping companies that are the victims of cargo theft, saying that CBP penalizes them unfairly, during a Feb. 27 hearing on the rise in cargo theft.
Bills were introduced this week in the House and Senate to establish pilot programs to assess technologies for enhancing and speeding up cargo inspections at land ports of entry. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, led S. 703, with four Democratic co-sponsors and six Republican co-sponsors.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., joined by Sens. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a renewal of a trade preferences program for Haiti this week.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., introduced the Undertaking Negotiations on Investment and Trade for Economic Dynamism (UNITED) Act, which authorizes the administration to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement with the U.K. in consultation with Congress.
Two Florida Republicans reintroduced a bill that would ban the importation of fresh citrus fruit from China. Rep. Greg Steube, a House Ways and Means Committee member, and Rep. Daniel Webster introduced the legislation again this week. “For too long, China has flooded the market with risky imports, threatening American farmers and food security. The U.S. Citrus Protection Act puts American agriculture first and ensures that we are not dependent on foreign adversaries for our food supply," Webster said in a press release announcing the bill.
A major rewrite of antidumping duty and countervailing duty laws, first introduced five years ago but only passed in one chamber (see 2203030053), was reintroduced this week by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.
Jamieson Greer, the former chief of staff to the U.S. trade representative during the first Trump administration, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 26, with a 56-43 vote. Five Democrats supported him, including both Michigan senators and Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and John Hickenlooper of Colorado. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted no.