U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday submitted to Capitol Hill changes to existing laws he says will be needed to bring the U.S. into compliance with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
[Isabelle Hoagland | January 30, 2019 | Inside US Trade]
The list was submitted within 60 days of the pact’s signing last November in Buenos Aires, as required under the 2015 Trade Promotion Authority law.
Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the submission, calling it an “important step required under U.S. law to implement the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada.”
“Congress has to carefully consider the agreement and work out the details before it can be ratified,” Grassley said in a Jan. 29 statement. “Transparency and adequate consultation every step of the way in accordance with Trade Promotion Authority will strengthen this agreement for the benefit of American farmers, businesses, workers and families. I look forward to working with Ambassador Lighthizer and my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee and throughout Congress during this process.”
Much of USTR’s list focuses on necessary changes to U.S. rules of origin. It also touches on tariff treatment and tariff-rate quotas, duty drawback, merchandise processing fee, textiles, a so-called special agricultural safeguard, government procurement, global safeguards, dispute settlement in antidumping and countervailing duties, trade remedy duty evasion, temporary entry, a special rule for actions affecting cultural industries, energy regulatory measures, express shipments, the transition from NAFTA, and more.
