House Appropriators Proposing 4% to 13.7% Increases at Trade Agencies
The House Appropriations Committee released its draft proposals for funding the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. It wants to spend $577.4 million on the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, $36.4 million more than the current fiscal year's spending, a 6.7% increase. It wants to spend $143.4 million on the Bureau of Industry and Security, up $10.4 million from the current year, a 7.8% increase.
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At the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the committee proposes $72.9 million, a 4% increase of $2.8 million.
And for the International Trade Commission, the committee proposes $118.5 million, almost exactly in line with the ITC request for $118.8 million. The House proposal is $15.5 million more than current year spending, a 13.7% increase. The ITC had argued that the funding was essential for information technology upgrades and hiring. "What was originally perceived to be a temporary surge in caseload has proven to be a structural change in its volume and complexity," the agency's budget justification said.