With the deadline to reach a deal on trade in steel and aluminum with the EU three weeks away, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is talking less about the commitment to reach a deal by the end of the month, and more about "progress."
Canada and the U.S. issued statements about a panel decision on softwood lumber under NAFTA's AD/CVD dispute chapter, but the antidumping duty case, which was brought years ago under NAFTA, not under its successor, is not posted on the USMCA Secretariat's docket, and neither country would share the ruling.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is asking the Biden administration to strengthen the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP), concerned that the aim has moved from an on-paper agreement to a mere forum.
Ten members of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, led by Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., are questioning the proportion of electronics shipments that have been released under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), after importers provided CBP with clear and convincing evidence that their supply chains had no Xinjiang links.
The Senate co-sponsors of the Shop Safe bill, recently reintroduced, said that they want critics of the bill to give specific feedback, rather than try to kill the bill.
An academic and a think tank scholar agreed that, despite the upcoming visit between the EU president and the U.S. president, they don't expect the global arrangement on steel and aluminum negotiations to conclude by their Oct. 31 deadline.
The sole member of the Ways and Means Committee who sits on the House Select Committee on China, along with the committee's chairman, are asking the Department of Homeland Security to brief them on how it's investigating allegations of trade fraud, and to allay their concerns that customs fraud is not being enforced.
A vote for a 30-day temporary spending bill, which proposed major changes to the administration's immigration policies and cut spending by $10 billion in that month, failed 198-232, with 21 Republicans voting no. The spending cuts spared Department of Homeland Security, defense spending and funding for veterans. As a result, the other discretionary spending would have been cut 29.9% below current levels.
A final rule that took effect in early 2022, ending bovine spongiform encephalopathy-related import restrictions for live sheep and goats and most sheep and goat products is the target of a bill introduced by five Republican senators from Western states. Sen. John Barasso, R-Wyo., tried to stop this rule before, in January 2022 (see 2201130006). USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said that the restrictions were put in place before "extensive research” showed that sheep and goats “pose a minimal risk of spreading BSE” (see 2112020022).
The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent in 2021, has been reintroduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats.