A group of 54 members of the House led by Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., are asking leadership of both chambers to make changes to Competitive Need Limitations in the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program proposed by the pair in H.R. 6171 (see 2112100058).
The four leaders of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a Democrat and a Republican from each chamber, are asking appropriators to fully fund the CBP request of $70.3 million to implement the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, for more employees, technology and training.
New Democrats Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Scott Peters, D-Calif., vice chair for policy, are adding their voices to those asking the Commerce Department to quickly conclude its antidumping circumvention investigation on solar panels made in Asia. Senators and governors have been arguing that the investigation is damaging utilities' ability to install large-scale solar arrays. "As the U.S. invests in American research, development, domestic manufacturing, and deployment of clean technology, we will continue to rely on imports in order to reach our climate goals for years to come. We are concerned by reports of delayed and cancelled installations and extensions of fossil fuel plants that otherwise would have been retired," they, joined by 14 other caucus members, said in a statement.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., is leading a nine-person bipartisan delegation to Brussels, the U.K. and Ireland to discuss strengthening trans-Atlantic trade relations as well as "underscoring the significance of the Good Friday Agreement." The Boris Johnson administration in London has proposed legislation to end border checks on goods sent from the main island to Northern Ireland. This is problematic because there are no border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member.
New Democrats Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Trade Task Force Co-Chair Ron Kind, D-Wis., are asking the commerce secretary and the U.S. trade representative to reevaluate the quota arrangement with South Korea. "We recognize the steelmakers’ concerns about steel imports originating in nonmarket economies being transshipped through market economies. We also note the latest data from the Department of Commerce’s Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) system suggests that steel imported into the United States from Korea did not originate in China. According to SIMA, over 92% of Korean steel imports into the United States were melted and poured in Korea, and virtually all of the remaining 8% was melted and poured in Japan," their May 19 letter said. "The New Democrat Coalition is committed to forward-looking trade policy that promotes economic growth and strengthens our global relationships. As such, we appreciate your efforts thus far to lower prices and rebuild global partnerships, and we thank you for your consideration regarding this request." The letter also was signed by four other New Dem members: Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Jimmy Panetta of California, Don Beyer of Virginia and Ami Bera of California.
The White House announced May 18 that the president is invoking the Defense Production Act in response to the infant formula shortage, which will require that suppliers send inputs to infant formula manufacturers ahead of other customers, and will direct the Pentagon to use its commercial air cargo contracts to transport formula from foreign factories that have met FDA safety standards. The White House is calling that Operation Fly Formula. "Bypassing regular air freighting routes will speed up the importation and distribution of formula and serve as an immediate support as manufacturers continue to ramp up production," the administration said.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and top Republican on the committee sent a letter to the White House, arguing that Taiwan should be in the Indo Pacific Economic Framework, and asking for a briefing for both their committee and the Senate Finance Committee on whether it will be, what the U.S.'s economic engagement is with Taiwan, and whether the U.S. has economic goals that it is seeking with Taiwan. The May 18 letter, which also was signed by the Senate Finance Committee chairman and ranking member and 48 other senators, notes that there was $114 billion in two-way trade with Taiwan last year, and that Taiwan is a significant player in computers, telecommunications and electronics. "Excluding Taiwan from IPEF would significantly distort regional and global economic architecture, run counter to U.S. economic interests" and play into China's narrative about Taiwan, they said. China argues that Taiwan is not an independent country, and has punished countries that have given it diplomatic recognition.
At a hearing on Canada's role in helping the U.S. meet its climate goals, both Canadian politicians and senators talked about how they need to continue developing a partnership in critical minerals. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said it makes no sense "for us to so heavily invest in electric vehicles as a climate solution when that means increasing our reliance on China, because right now we’re not simultaneously increasing our mining, processing, and recycling capacity at the same rate in the United States.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he hopes to get "the essence of an agreement" on merging the House and Senate China bills by the end of this month. "I don't mean we're going to have everything agreed to." He said he hopes that each committee delegation can either settle or get very close to finishing their segments by then, though he said some issues will have to be passed up to leadership. "And then I'm hopeful we can get the Competes bill done by the end of next month. That I know is a very ambitious, perhaps naive expectation." He acknowledged there are "real differences" between the two versions.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said he will be introducing a bill called the Fixing Our Regulatory Mayhem Upsetting Little Americans (Formula) Act, which he says would fight the shortage of baby milk formula that has occurred after a plant shutdown over safety issues (see 2205130033). The bill would eliminate tariffs on infant formulas from some countries, provide a six-month waiver of tariffs on all imported formula, and would waive FDA labeling and nutrition requirements for formula from countries with similar approval standards as the United States. It also would prohibit FDA from recalling infant formula if labeling is the only reason for the recall.