On March 11, 2009, House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee Chairman Levin discussed a variety of trade issues that are expected to be part of the Obama Administration's new trade policy, as well as issues that will be considered by the Trade Subcommittee.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has published a notice announcing the availability of 2008 full calendar year import statistics relating to the Generalized System of Preferences Competitive Needs Limitations (CNLs) for the 2008 GSP Annual Review.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a memorandum providing instructions for the filing and acceptance of claims for preferential treatment of goods under the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA).
Highlights from Trade Subcommittee's Hearings and Oversight-Related Activities Planned for 2009-2010
The House Ways and Means Committee has posted a letter listing its hearings and oversight-related activities planned for the 111th Congress (2009-2010). Highlights from the list that pertain to its Trade Subcommittee include:
The International Trade Commission has posted to its Web site an updated version of the 2009 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTS) dated February 1, 2009 (Revision 1).
CBP has issued its weekly tariff rate quota (TRQ) and tariff preference level (TPL) commodity report as of February 2, 2009. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, tobacco, certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (Weekly commodity report available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)
On January 15, 2009, the International Trade Commission released the public version of a report requested by the U.S. Trade Representative as part of the 2008 GSP Annual Review on the probable economic effect of possible additions to and removals from the Generalized System of Preferences.
The International Trade Commission has instituted an investigation at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative entitled Advice Concerning Possible Modifications to the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, 2008 Review of Competitive Need Limit Waivers.
In late January 2009, President Bush issued Proclamation 8341, which amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to implement the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA or PFTA) effective for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after February 1, 2009.
The International Trade Commission has instituted an investigation at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative entitled Advice Concerning Possible Modifications to the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, 2008 Review of Competitive Need Limit Waivers.