Trade Cases

House Proposes Amendment to Trade Expansion Act

July 11, 2018

House members submitted a bill on Wednesday to amend the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 that mirrors a bill proposed in the Senate to limit the administration’s power to adjust imports in the name of national security.

The bipartisan bill H.R. 6337, introduced by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), would require a 60-day period for Congress to review a Section 232 proposal submitted by the president. A joint resolution of approval would be required by both chambers before measures could be imposed. Action could be fast-tracked through the House and Senate if necessary. The amendment would cover future tariff action, as well as the recent tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Mark Sanford (R-SC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), and Ryan Costello (R-PA).

The bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Rules for review.

The House Ways & Means Committee announced it will also hold a hearing on July 18 to “address the effects on American agriculture and rural communities of both U.S. tariffs imposed under Sections 232 and 301, as well as retaliation imposed by other countries against U.S. exports.”

Trade subcommittee Chairman David Reicher (R-WA) said in a statement, “When the United States uses trade enforcement tools such as tariffs, it should do so in a way that does not harm American farmers, consumers, workers and manufacturers, either through the negative effects of the tariffs themselves or by attracting retaliation by other countries that destroys our ability to sell high-quality American-made goods and services around the globe.”

Reicher added that the hearing “will provide an important opportunity to discuss both the direct and indirect negative effects of the U.S. Section 232 and 301 tariffs on America’s farmers, as well as the retaliation they are now experiencing.”