Trade Cases
House Proposes Amendment to Trade Expansion Act
Written by Sandy Williams
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.”
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Trade Cases
Price: Should billions in Section 232 revenue go to foreign manufacturers or to the American people?
Do we want the benefits of the Section 232 tariffs to flow to the bottom lines of foreign steel and aluminum producers or to the US government and, ultimately, domestic manufacturers and their workers? In our view, the answer is simple. Section 232 exceptions do nothing more than lead to underserved profits for foreign manufacturers who are harming the US industrial base. That revenue could be used to pursue the Trump administration’s other policy priorities - such as deficit reduction or expanded tax cuts.
Mills allege ‘critical circumstances’ in CORE trade case vs. South Africa, UAE
"Recent activity in the marketplace strongly indicates that these imports are being rushed into the United States in an effort to avoid the imposition of antidumping duties," petitioners said.
European Commission eyes retaliation vs. Trump steel tariffs: Report
The European Commission is looking into making current quotas on steel imports stricter as a countermeasure to President Trump’s recently announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the US, according to an article in Reuters.
Trump could levy tariffs on auto imports in April: Report
President Donald Trump said last week that he could place tariffs on auto imports, according to an article in Politico.
Section 232 tariffs are headed downstream
The Trump administration has revealed the list of derivative steel products being added to the Section 232 tariff list.