Blumenauer Will Lead House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon progressive who supported fast track authority in 2015, will lead the House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee, winning the seat instead of Rep. Bill Pascrell, the New Jersey Democrat who served as ranking member when the Democrats were in the minority. Blumenauer only chose to assert his seniority after his idea of an infrastructure financing committee didn't come to pass (see 1811140049). Blumenauer released a statement after his selection Jan. 16 that said: "We have an outstanding subcommittee primed to make progress and fight for Democratic values like meaningful, effective trade enforcement, access to affordable medicines, and strong environmental protections at home and abroad."
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Republicans have chosen the new ranking member for Trade, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. Buchanan, like many in the Florida delegation, is pushing for seasonality in antidumping to benefit Florida fruit and vegetable growers, who have lost market share to Mexican imports.
The other members of the Trade Subcommittee are: Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash.; Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala.; Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.; Rep Brian Higgins, D-N.Y.; and new appointees, Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich.; Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif.; Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.; and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.; Rep. George Holding, R-N.C.; Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C.; Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas; and Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., are all returning to the trade subcommittee, along with new appointee, Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.
Kind, who is among the pro-trade Democrats on the subcommittee, is among several subcommittee members concerned that the U.S. trade representative continues to say "reciprocal" de minimis levels are negotiating priorities when dealing with countries that have far lower de minimis levels than does the U.S. He and Schweikert co-authored a letter last month saying they didn't approve of the footnote in the new NAFTA, but since that letter, USTR has used the same language in its negotiating priorities with Japan and Europe.
His spokesman said that "Rep. Kind supports other nations raising their de minimis thresholds, but believes the USTR does not have the authority to lower the U.S. threshold unilaterally."
Kind also argues that "Wisconsin’s family farmers are bearing the brunt of the President’s trade war." President Donald Trump has argued that Wisconsin -- and other dairy farming regions around the country -- will have vastly improved access to Canada because of the NAFTA rewrite. At the Farm Bureau Monday, Trump brought a Wisconsin dairy farming family up on stage, and said, "For years, NAFTA made it difficult for dairy farmers like the Petersons to export milk, ice cream, cheese, and many other dairy products. Under the [new NAFTA, known as] USMCA, the Peterson family will finally have the level playing field that they should have had for many years. They have it now."
Rep. Mike Kelly, a vocal protectionist Republican from Pennsylvania, has left the Trade Subcommittee, though he is still in Congress. Rep. Tom Reed, a New York Republican who is prominent in the bipartisan Problem Solvers caucus, also has left the Trade Subcommittee. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., who has made trade a signature issue, moved to ranking member of another Ways & Means subcommittee.