Ways and Means Plans Busy Trade Agenda for 111th Congress

February 20, 2009

The Ways and Means Committee has posted to its website a letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on House Administration listing the various hearings and oversight activities it plans to conduct during the 111^th Congress. According to the letter, Ways and Means is planning an active trade agenda and will conduct the following related activities:

• Priorities of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Oversight hearings with USTR to discuss priorities for the 111^th Congress and concerns related to international trade.
• Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB). Continue work to complete in the 111^th Congress the review of introduced bills and preparation of an omnibus bill, begun in the 110^th Congress.
• Signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs”) with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Oversight of the three signed FTAs, with focus on issues that need to me addressed in order for Congressional consideration, including, with respect to the Colombia FTA, issues related to violence against workers and other issues that inhibit the exercise of basic internationally-recognized labor and standards, and with respect to the South Korea FTA, issues related to non-tariff market access barriers in the manufacturing and agricultural areas.
• Implemented FTAs. Oversight of implemented FTAs involving Peru, Central America/Dominican Republic (DR-CAFTA), Oman, Bahrain, Singapore, Chile, Australia, Morocco, Jordan, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Israel.
• Other FTA Negotiations. Oversight of uncompleted FTA negotiations (Thailand, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, the South African Customs Union, Ecuador, and proposed negotiations with the P-4 Countries).
• Preference Programs. Oversight of major U.S. trade preference programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE). Evaluate efficacy of programs and options for long-term renewal and reform
• Haiti. Oversight of U.S. preference programs for Haiti. Evaluation of proposals to assist Haiti’s economic recovery.
• World Trade Organization (WTO) Negotiations. Oversight of U.S. goals in areas of agriculture, manufacturing, services, and trade remedy laws.   Evaluation of reasons for the current impasse in WTO negotiations, and consideration of proposals to break impasse and achieve meaningful outcome in all areas.
• WTO Dispute Settlement. Oversight of the WTO dispute settlement system, including oversight of WTO decisions involving U.S. trade remedy laws.
• Enforcement. Oversight of U.S. enforcement of WTO rights and rights under FTAs and other agreements. Evaluation of proposals to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and improve U.S. tools as leverage to open foreign markets and other areas. Evaluations of proposals to strengthen border enforcement related to counterfeit imports and import safety. Oversight of administration of the Department of Commerce and U.S. International Trade Commission of U.S. trade remedy laws and USTR’s role in enforcement.
• China. Oversight of systemic problems in U.S.-China trade relations, including issues related to China’s continued violation of U.S. intellectual property rights and use of industrial subsidies, and China’s alleged manipulation of its currency, as well as other factors.
• Europe. Oversight of the third largest bilateral trade deficit, as well as sectoral issues, such as Airbus subsidies, discriminatory regulations in high technology transfer and sectors, discriminatory barriers to U.S. farm exports, etc.
• Trade and Developing Countries. Oversight of U.S. trade relations with developing countries, role of developing countries in WTO and world trading system, extent to which developing countries have benefited from the trading system.
• Globalization Adjustment Assistance. Examine options to improve education, on-the-job training, trade adjustment, and portable health care/pensions, including expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance programs for workers, firms, and farmers.
• Climate Change. Evaluation of impact of mandatory proposals to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
• Priorities of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC). Oversight hearings concerning overall priorities and operations of the ITC.
• Priorities for U.S.Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Oversight hearings to address CBP’s revenue functions and trade enforcement.