Although the U.S. trade representative found a way to avoid a congressional vote on a U.S.-Japan trade deal by limiting the size of the initial U.S. tariff reductions, Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee are questioning whether the deal is allowed under the fast-track law. A letter sent Nov. 26, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and signed by every Democrat on the committee except the chairman and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., did not explicitly say that Democrats believe the law is not being followed, but repeatedly asked under what authority the agreement was reached. Among the specific issues raised were rules of origin or marking rules and whether there would be changes. The letter also asked if there is such a provision, why wasn't it mentioned in the notification to Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Democrats “are within range” of agreeing on a new NAFTA, adding that “we need to see our progress in writing from the Trade Representative for final review.” Pelosi released the statement in the evening of Nov. 25. She said that the original draft of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that USTR reached with Canada and Mexico “still left American workers exposed to losing their jobs to Mexico, included unacceptable provisions to lock in high prescription drug prices, and fell short of key environmental standards,” but most of all, it had no concrete enforcement mechanisms. If Pelosi reaches agreement with USTR, the next step will be a draft implementing bill from USTR, and mock markups in the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee to shape the final bill.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Corporacion Panamericana, a Cuban company controlled by U.S.-sanctioned Cubametales, Treasury said Nov. 26. Since it was sanctioned, Cubametales has offered Corporacion Panamericana as an intermediary to companies who decline to do business with Cubametales.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Nov. 25 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The U.S. and the European Union would recognize each other’s product testing across a variety of sectors including electronics, toys, machinery and measuring instruments, under a proposed agreement released by the EU on Nov. 22. “The EU proposal seeks an agreement, under which the EU and the U.S. would accept the conformity assessment results of each other’s assessment bodies, certifying products against the legal requirement of the other side. This would enable exporters to seek certification of their products in their originating country,” the European Commission said in a press release.
In the Nov. 20-21 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
China and Israel made “positive progress” during its seventh round of trade negotiations this week, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The two sides discussed issues surrounding rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation, phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights and more.
A bipartisan group of senators asked the Commerce Department to reverse its decision to approve Huawei-related export licenses (see 1911200041), saying the move poses significant national security risks. The senators, led by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in a Nov. 21 letter to President Donald Trump that they are “concerned that the approval of additional, more permanent licenses will allow Huawei to fully resume its engagement with certain U.S. firms without an adequate assessment of the risks to national security.”
The European Commission launched an online portal to provide businesses guidance on verifying actors in their supply chains and to aid with sanctions compliance, the commission said in a Nov. 19 press release. The “Due Diligence Ready!” portal will help businesses “check the sources of the metals and minerals entering their supply chain” and improve due diligence, the commission said. Specifically, the portal will help businesses identify whether their supplies are originating from human rights abusers who may be subject to European sanctions by providing access to training materials, guidance information and due-diligence requirements.
The U.S. is continuing sanctions on Burundi, the White House said in a Nov. 19 notice. The situation in Burundi -- marked by “violence” and “political repression” -- continues to “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, the White House said. The sanctions are being renewed for one year from Nov. 22. The national emergency with regard to Burundi was originally declared Nov. 22, 2015.