American Apparel and Footwear Association CEO Rick Helfenbein will step down Dec. 31, and Executive Vice President Stephen Lamar will become the association’s president and CEO. Helfenbein led AAFA for four years, and the organization pointed to the addition of travel goods to the Generalized System of Preferences as one of the policy victories he achieved. "Rick has led us through some of the most disruptive periods in recent memory -- from the disastrous border adjustment tax to today's trade war with one of our most important trading partners. Throughout this time, he has advised the industry with charm and wit," Chairman Gary Simmons said in a press release announcing the leadership change. "At the same time, we are very excited to promote Stephen Lamar to the role of President and CEO. Many in the industry and policymaking community have grown to depend on Stephen's expertise on how policies impact the industry. His foresight of potential risks and opportunities is unmatched."
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Aug. 23 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
Bamboo flooring from Indonesia will not be considered for reinstatement of Generalized System of Preferences benefits in the International Trade Commission’s 2018 GSP Review, the ITC said in notice. According to the ITC, the U.S. trade representative removed assembled flooring panels of bamboo, other than for mosaic, multilayer, having a face ply more than 6 mm in thickness from Indonesia, provided for in subheading 4418.73.40 of the tariff schedule, from the list of articles being considered for redesignation in table C of the Annex to its request letter. The ITC began its review in June (see 1906090007). USTR calls the proceeding the 2019 GSP Annual Product Review (see 1906130039).
Former New Democrat Coalition head Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., is leading a bipartisan letter asking that the administration restore India to the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program. The letter, which is still being circulated in a bid for more signatures before an introduction in September, notes that the House voted 400-2 to reauthorize the GSP program in 2018.
Generalized System of Preferences program duty savings in June fell by about 18 percent compared with June last year, to $66 million, the Coalition for GSP said in a blog post. That decline seems to reflect the first full month without Turkey's eligibility in the program (see 1905170075) and slightly less than a month without India's eligibility (see 1906050043). "The $15 million year-over-year drop was the largest decline in GSP savings since the 2008-2009 financial crisis," the group said. While the savings from other countries grew by about 23 percent, or $12.5 million, that wasn't enough to offset the losses of India and Turkey, the group said. Using state-specific data, in many cases the "declines were wholly attributable to lost GSP for India and Turkey, leaving little chance that savings will bounce back in July," it said.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer addressed the recent end to India's Generalized System of Preferences benefits eligibility (see 1906050043) in written responses to two senators on the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked about GSP and the possibility of Section 301 actions against India at a June 18 hearing at which Lighthizer appeared. Lighthizer replied, "A USTR team ... recently visited New Delhi to meet with a variety of Indian government officials in an attempt to make progress on the broad range of trade barriers we have highlighted. We remain committed to finding solutions to the myriad of trade concerns we have with India. I hope that the Government of India demonstrates a comparable commitment to resolving our concerns."
Officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and trade officials from Thailand met July 23 to talk about the U.S. review of whether to keep Thailand in the Generalized System of Preferences program. The U.S. is troubled by lack of market access for U.S. pork producers, Thai workers' rights, and the trade deficit in goods. Out of $44.5 billion in two-way goods trade, the U.S. has a $19.3 billion deficit. "The United States raised issues related to agriculture, customs, intellectual property protection and enforcement, and labor," USTR said.
In a notice scheduled to be published July 15 in the Federal Register, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has allocated the quotas in metric tons of imported cane sugar that can come in below the tariff rate of 15.36 cents per pound for raw sugar and 16.21 cents per pound for refined sugar.
In order to get back in America's good graces, India needs to do more than open its market to American dairy and pay medical device companies fairly, according to Jeffrey Gerrish, deputy U.S. trade representative. Those were the trade irritants that led to India's suspension from the Generalized System of Preferences, but at a U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum leadership summit event July 11, Gerrish said the two countries need to "move beyond" the issues behind the GSP review to a more comprehensive reckoning.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 1-7: