U.S. House proposal is good step forward; other improvements needed WASHINGTON, July 22
WASHINGTON, July 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers
(USW) announced support for a new trade bill, "The Trade Enforcement Act of
2008" (H.R. 6530), introduced last week by House Ways & Means Committee
Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Sander Levin
(D-MI).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080131/DC12982LOGO )
"We thank the Chairmen and their staff for this legislative initiative to
staunch the hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs lost because of dumped and
foreign-subsidized imports," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.
The USW President adds: "We simply cannot stand by idly, while our jobs
and production are being off-shored and America's trade deficit is at an
all-time high. Foreign governments like China must be held accountable when
they cheat on the trade rules by doling out millions in subsidies to their
producers in violation of those very rules."
The House Democratic legislation would apply the anti-subsidy law to
Chinese imports improperly subsidized by the Chinese government; compel the
U.S. President to provide relief from surging Chinese imports under a special
safeguard provision, except in extraordinary circumstances; and it would give
Congress the power to reverse a decision by the White House that China is no
longer a non-market economy country.
H.R. 6530 also sends an important message to the World Trade Organization
(WTO) trading partners in the Doha Round negotiations that WTO rulings cannot
improperly limit U.S. sovereignty. The bill seeks to correct a WTO decision
that did just that when it prohibited the U.S. government from following its
practice begun in 1921 to count only dumped sales in calculating the extent of
dumping (the so-called "zeroing" practice).
In addition, H.R. 6530 would make some improvements to import safety by
including penalties on importers who opt-in to a voluntary safety monitoring
program. Penalties include higher bonding limits, increased inspections, or
banning offending imports entirely for not less than six months.
"There is no doubt that more needs to be done," said Gerard, who cited
using the trade laws to redress pernicious currency manipulation by countries
like China, and making sure that the WTO cannot restrict how the U.S. Treasury
disposes of tariffs collected on unfairly traded imports. "But this trade
enforcement bill is a good first step in neutralizing the terrible effects
that unfair import competition does to American workers, families and
communities. It gives us some enhanced tools to fight against such unfair
trade practices," said Gerard.
SOURCE United Steelworkers
