Congress reconvened last Monday after a week-long recess for the US Thanksgiving holiday. There are several priority – or “must pass” – bills facing lawmakers. Only a limited number of legislative working days, however, remain before the first session of the 114th Congress concludes, which is expected to be no later than 18 December 2015.
Ex-Im Bank Reauthorized! Last Thursday, the House passed a priority measure – a reconciled, five-year transportation infrastructure bill (H.R. 22) that includes a provision reauthorizing the lapsed US Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank. President Barack Obama quickly signed the bill into law on Friday, 4 December.
TPP – Latest Developments. Last Friday, in accordance with the Trade Promotion Act, the Office of the US Trade Representative released reports on the TPP submitted by 27 US trade advisory committees. Each advisory committee represents a broad and diverse set of industries and has provided an assessment of the merit of the TPP agreement for their respective businesses and American consumers. While the reports show an overwhelming support for the TPP agreement, there are also some statements critical of the agreement.
TTIP Developments. From 8-11 December, Ambassador Froman will travel to the United Kingdom and Belgium for meetings on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
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