House Bill Eyes New Task Force to Tackle Trade Barriers to US Farm Exports
Rep. Eric “Rick” Crawford, R-Ark., introduced a bill Sept. 30 that would require the president to form a task force to identify trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports and develop and implement a strategy to enforce trade agreements against those barriers.
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The task force would consist of employees from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, and other agencies “as needed.” It would be required to submit quarterly progress reports to Congress.
The initial report would have to include a plan to request consultations under the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement process to address India’s “unrestrained use” of minimum price supports. The legislation says the U.S. has exhausted other options available through the WTO to deal with the price supports.
The bill, the Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act, was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.