The House Select Committee on China is getting six new members -- four Republicans, two Democrats -- in the new 119th Congress, lawmakers announced last week. The Republicans are Reps. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, Young Kim of California, Nathaniel Moran of Texas and Zach Nunn of Iowa. The Democrats are Reps. Greg Stanton of Arizona and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii. Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., have been reappointed chairman and ranking member, respectively.
A half-dozen House members reintroduced a bill this week. to grant Kazakhstan permanent normal trade relations status. The former Soviet republic does receive most favored nation treatment, but must certify its compliance under the Jackson-Vanik amendment each year.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., declined to say if she'd join forces with colleagues who want to end the president's ability to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but said, "I certainly think they're on the right track."
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Feb. 6 to consider the nomination of Jamieson Greer to be the U.S. trade representative. Greer was the chief of staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during President Donald Trump's first term in office.
Two Democrats have introduced a bill in the Senate that, if it becomes law, would prevent a president from levying tariffs on free-trade partners, on NATO members and on major non-NATO allies without congressional approval.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology would have to develop a methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and some species of imported tuna, if a bipartisan bill re-introduced in the Senate becomes law.
The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to take up a bill next week that would direct the Department of Commerce to work with the private sector to identify vulnerabilities in supply chains for critical goods, monitor supply chains in those industries, and identify ways that a supply-chain shock could affect manufacturing.
Freshman Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., introduced a bill called the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act with eight other House Republicans, a proposal first introduced by former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., in 2019 (see 1901160012) along with a Senate companion bill by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia (see 1908090034).
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., reintroduced a bill to disallow the use of de minimis entry for packages that include goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee in 2024 (see 2404180068). Murphy said in a Jan. 28 news release that two-thirds of de minimis imports are from China. "By updating our De Minimis law, we are creating a fairer playing field for American businesses to compete and ending abuse by Chinese companies," he said.
A bipartisan bill was introduced this week in the Senate that asks the Commerce Department to study the national security risks posed by routers and modems designed, manufactured or sold by Chinese companies. Similar to the connected vehicles rule, a determination that these products imperil national security could result in a ban on their import, even if the products were built in Vietnam, Malaysia or other countries.