Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill that would require the president to impose sanctions on members of the Taliban who support any terrorist group in Afghanistan, who engage in international narcotics trafficking, or who engage in "serious human rights abuses." The three requirements would begin 90 days after passage, the Sept, 27 bill says. Twenty-six Republican senators co-sponsored the bill.
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wasn’t satisfied after the committee’s closed briefing with the Biden administration about the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline last week, adding that the administration “continues its refusal to follow the law.” Senate Republicans have criticized the administration for not imposing more sanctions on the pipeline, arguing that sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act are mandatory (see 2109150017).
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and 10 other House Republicans introduced a bill Sept. 28 that requires the administration to impose sanctions on foreign buyers of rare earth minerals -- but the bill explicitly exempts sanctions on the import of those minerals into the U.S. “The Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has given the Taliban control of one of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals in the world, which jeopardizes our national security,” Steube said. “Banning the Taliban and China from profiting off of rare earth minerals is commonsense." He said the bill is designed to prevent Chinese firms from buying rare earths and then processing them and selling them to U.S. buyers.
Finance Committee member Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, bemoaned the fact that the House did not vote on a short-term extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance already passed by the Senate, and told his committee's chairman and top Republican that he would like to be part of bipartisan negotiations to get TAA moving, paired with other trade priorities. Portman, in a letter Sept. 28, also said he worries that passing TAA as part of the Democratic-only soft infrastructure package means the broader trade agenda will be neglected. "As policymakers, I believe we can take steps to support American manufacturing and avoid the root causes for TAA," he said, and argued that renewing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill and Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, and strengthening antidumping and countervailing duty laws would help.
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said he's had no consultation with staff or principals from the Commerce Committee or the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on how they would like to change their approach on tariffs on European steel and aluminum. The European Union and the U.S. have been negotiating over lifting 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum imposed during the Trump presidency, ostensibly to protect national security. If the U.S. and the EU do not reach an agreement, retaliatory tariffs on spirits exports are scheduled to double, to 50%. "We’d love to have this conversation with the administration on how you’d tackle 232s and 301s," he said, particularly in a time when supply chains are strained and inflation is up. But Brady declined to say during a call with reporters on Sept. 29 whether his concerns about the drag on the economy from supply chain challenges and inflation mean that he would argue to lift the tariffs on the EU.
The House’s Republican-led China Task Force said several of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet officials aren’t grasping the “true threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party” and called for an immediate briefing to Congress on how the administration is dealing with China. The task force members, led by chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, objected to recent comments by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and climate envoy John Kerry, who have advocated for more cooperation with China in certain commercial areas and on climate change, respectively.
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Trade Subcommittee chairman and ranking Republican met with World Trade Organization Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala when she was in town last week. Brady and Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., issued a statement that said, "We were delighted to meet with Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at this critical juncture in the history of the World Trade Organization. As we discussed today, our commitment to the success of the WTO is unwavering. However, the United States has long insisted that reform is needed at the WTO, and bipartisan support in Congress for WTO reform is stronger than ever." Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., chairman of the trade subcommittee, said, “It was an honor to lead a bipartisan roundtable discussion with Director-General Ngozi where members shared their support for the WTO and relayed their priorities to Dr. Ngozi directly. I, along with several of my colleagues, emphasized the importance of a WTO TRIPS waiver on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests as well as the critical role that the WTO has to play in protecting the climate. I’m also glad we were able to discuss illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and was encouraged by Dr. Ngozi’s comments about potential progress in dealing with these horrific and destructive practices.”
Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., introduced a bill that would prohibit U.S. funding for the Taliban government and require sanctions on foreigners who knowingly provide assistance to Afghanistan's government. Franklin said Sept. 23 that his bill is a companion to the bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., (see 2109210010). He has five Republican co-sponsors. Franklin said the bill also would repeal the exception in Iran sanctions for sectors necessary for Afghan reconstruction. "While we feel this should be an issue on which all sides can agree, sadly our Democrat colleagues have not chosen to join this effort,” Franklin said.
The House-passed 2022 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision that would mandate new sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. The amendment, proposed by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, would authorize sanctions against the project, “excluding the national security waiver,” to attempt to stop its completion. The Biden administration has issued some sanctions against the Russia-to-Germany pipeline project (see 2108230057) but has also said more U.S. sanctions wouldn’t stop the pipeline from being completed and would only cause tension with Germany (see 2107220008).
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., introduced a bill that would offer the more generous unemployment and retraining benefits under Trade Adjustment Assistance to people who lost their jobs because their companies' exports declined after retaliatory tariffs. The bill, whose text was published Sept. 20, says the retaliation could be as a result of tariffs under Section 232, Section 301 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Currently, TAA covers job loss due to import competition in goods and services.