Lawmakers should pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation this year in order to reinforce the Congressional-Executive Branch partnership, enable U.S. public and private officials to tackle emergent trade issues, and confront ongoing trade pact negotiations, said a group of trade associations in a Sept. 9 letter (here). The letter was addressed to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., Finance Ranking Member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin, D-Mich. The letter said the U.S. trade community faces new challenges since the crafting of the last TPA in 2002, an authority that expired in 2007. Congress and the administration need TPA to close high profile, docketed trade pacts, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, it said.
CBP published on Aug. 29 its agenda for the quarterly broker meeting which will be held on Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. at 1100 Raymond Blvd. in Newark, N.J. Discussion topics will include ISF enforcement penalties, exam delays, ACE update and a GSP expiration update. Industry members may contact Linda Birck with any questions at 973-368-6107 or by e-mail at Linda.Birck@dhs.gov.
The Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Sander Levin, D-Mich., traveled to Bangladesh Aug. 19 for a three-day visit following the Obama Administration’s withdrawal of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) status to the country, said a committee press release (here). The lawmaker intends to meet with high-ranking government officials and non-government organization officials and to visit garment factories, it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 12 - Aug. 16 in case they were missed.
Set to face a raft of legislative challenges unrelated to trade after reconvening on Capitol Hill in mid-September, congressional lawmakers appear positioned to push combined "omnibus" trade legislation, made up of a number of trade bills. That trade package prospect is increasingly likely due to heightened pressure resulting from recent legislative failures on trade bills, looming trade deal negotiation conclusions and Senate floor time constraints that restrict movement on individual bills, said observers.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 29-Aug 2 in case they were missed.
The top administration trade official, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman, pressed Congress on July 31 to pass Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal legislation. Despite the introduction of legislation in both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, the program expired at midnight on July 31.
The U.S. supports Central African economic integration and strengthened commercial ties with American industry players, Deputy Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization David Shark said July 29, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). As part of a prepared statement delivered during the WTO Trade Policy Review of the six-member Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) (here), Shark advised the five member nations present, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Chad and Cameroon, to optimize the abundance of natural resources in the region to stimulate development.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 22-26 in case they were missed.
As the Generalized System of Preferences July 31 expiration date looms, Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C. has withdrawn her objection to a unanimous consent vote on GSP renewal legislation, according to the Coalition for GSP (here). The lone remaining obstacle to the vote is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who opposes the funding mechanisms incorporated in the Senate legislation (see 13071914).