President Barack Obama will travel to Chicago on Tuesday, 10 January, to deliver his farewell address to the nation. U.S. businessman Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on Friday, 20 January. Trump Transition News – Confirmation Hearings. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) has … Continue Reading
Welcome to 2017. The 115th Congress convened on Tuesday, 3 January. U.S. businessman Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on Friday, January 20. Trump Transition News. President-Elect Trump continues to announce senior officials who will serve as part of his Administration. The Trump Transition Team noted at … Continue Reading
Electric vehicles (EV) will soon get a boost in power and energy due to a relatively new cathode material known colloquially as NMC for its nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide chemistry. Battery experts predict NMC will, in the immediate future, replace the currently commercially used cobalt oxides and nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxides in EV and many other electronic applications. While … Continue Reading
Excess Steel Capacity – Global Forum Launched. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman issued a statement welcoming the formal launch of a global forum to address excess steel capacity on 16 December, saying: By establishing this forum, the United States and our trading partners have demonstrated a resolve to address … Continue Reading
Both chambers of the U.S. Congress recessed last week after passing a Continuing Resolution to fund the U.S. Government until April. The 114th Congress stands adjourned for the year. The 115th Congress will convene on Tuesday, 3 January 2017. China – Trump’s Call with Taiwan. In an interview that aired on Sunday, President-Elect Donald Trump … Continue Reading
Iran – Sanctions Measure Advances. Last week, the Senate passed the Iran Sanctions Extension Act (H.R. 6297) by a vote of 99-0, sending the measure to President Obama’s desk. Members of Congress and Administration officials have said they do not believe renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) would violate terms of the nuclear agreement … Continue Reading
Cuba – Fidel Castro Passes Away. In the statement released on 26 November, President Barack Obama said of the former Cuban leader: [W]e extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans – in Cuba and in the United States – with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways … Continue Reading
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 8 November in what many are describing as an upset. President-Elect Trump’s transition team is now tasked with vetting possible Cabinet officials and lower-level appointees, receiving background briefings from the Obama Administration, and crafting policy proposals based on his campaign … Continue Reading
Likely Major Policy Developments President-Elect Trump will enter the White House facing a dramatic decline in global trade growth. A recent World Trade Organization (WTO) report notes that 2016 marks the slowest pace of trade and output growth since the 2008 financial crisis. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo called slowing trade growth “a wake-up call,” … Continue Reading
The U.S. House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday, 14 November, and the U.S. Senate the following day. TPP – Administration Still Stumping. In a call on 3 November, Ambassador Froman reiterated the Obama Administration is still aiming for a lame-duck congressional vote on the TPP deal, but he did not offer any details on … Continue Reading
With less than two weeks remaining until Election Day, President Obama started this week, on the campaign trail, advocating for Hillary Clinton to be the next U.S. president. Republican contender Donald Trump is currently trailing in the polls. The U.S. Congress is in recess until after the 8 November elections. The House of Representatives will … Continue Reading
The U.S. Congress is in recess until after the 8 November elections. The House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday, 14 November, and the Senate the following day. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) published its long awaited Federal Register notice on 14 October regarding the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) petition process. Petitions for duty … Continue Reading
On 12 August, a WTO dispute settlement panel confirmed that Russian import duties on paper, refrigerators and palm oil violate WTO rules. According to the panel, the import duties exceed those Russia agreed to when it joined the WTO in August 2012. This marks the first case ever decided in the WTO against Russia. The EU has initiated dispute settlement … Continue Reading
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has removed three Iranian companies from its list of sanctions targets listed on the EU’s anti-nuclear sanctions on Iran. The following companies have had their listings annulled as a result of Judgments of the General Court of the European Union: IRISL Club, IRISL Multimodal Transport Company and Leading Maritime PTE Ltd.… Continue Reading
The EU has removed 19 entities from its sanctions targeting Iraq, which apply to the previous government of Iraq and related people and entities covered by the freezing of funds and economic resources that were located outside Iraq on 22 May 2003. This implements a UN decision to de-list the entities from UN sanctions on 16 September 2016. Commission Implementing … Continue Reading
On 22 September, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) announced that the EU had failed to eliminate illegal aid to Airbus, handing US rival Boeing one of the biggest triumphs on the global stage in its 12-year battle with Airbus. The WTO stated that the EU and Britain, France, Germany and Spain had failed to comply with earlier rulings against … Continue Reading
The apparent race for African trade continues to intensify with African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum taking place in Washington the last week in September and the European Parliament approving further trade agreements with six African states earlier in October. Frank Samolis and Stacy Swanson discuss the need for greater international cooperation in relation to … Continue Reading
The U.S. Congress is in recess until after the 8 November elections. TPP – Ryan Reiterates No-Go. In an interview last week, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) reiterated the votes do not exist in the U.S. House of Representatives for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal: Yeah we’re not going to bring that up … Continue Reading
The U.S. Congress is in recess until after the 8 November elections. JASTA – Congress Overturns the Veto. Both chambers of Congress voted last week to override President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA; S. 2040), marking the first time lawmakers have successfully overridden a veto during his eight years … Continue Reading
JASTA – Veto Imminent. Congress formally submitted the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA; S. 2040), to President Obama last Monday. The President has until this Friday to veto the measure, as he has vowed to do. While it remains unclear whether Congress has the necessary votes – two-thirds in both chambers – to … Continue Reading
JASTA – Bill Sent to President. The House voted by voice vote last Friday to advance the Senate-passed JASTA measure to President Obama’s desk for signature into law. Congress acted on a measure that many believe is long-overdue for the victims of the 9/11 attack just ahead of Sunday’s 15th anniversary of the terrorist attack. … Continue Reading
The U.S. Congress returns to Washington on Tuesday after a six-week recess. On Monday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) issued a statement on the perceived lack of strong U.S. leadership, setting the stage for potentially-increased Republican oversight this fall: Just as we saw our allies in Europe dissing us over the … Continue Reading
TPP – Opposition Remains Strong. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) stated last week that the U.S. Senate will not vote on TPP’s implementing legislation during lame-duck session of Congress as many – including the Obama Administration – had hoped, saying: The current agreement, the Trans-Pacific agreement, which has some serious flaws, will not be … Continue Reading
GAO Report on Antidumping. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) released a statement on 15 August in response to the GAO report titled, “Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: CBP Action Needed to Reduce Duty Processing Errors and Mitigate Nonpayment Risk.” He stated: [The] GAO report highlights that the Administration needs to do much more … Continue Reading
