II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1453 

To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment assistance to farmers 

adversely affected by reduced exports resulting from tariffs imposed 

as retaliation for United States tariff increases, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 14, 2019 

Mr. JONES introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment 

assistance to farmers adversely affected by reduced exports resulting from tariffs imposed as retaliation for 

United States tariff increases, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Assistance for Farmers 

5 Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•S 1453 IS

1 (1) In recognition that trade policy can result 

2 in disparate and disruptive changes to the economy, 

3 the trade adjustment assistance program under title 

4 II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2251 et 

5 seq.) was enacted to help workers adversely im6 pacted by the trade policy decisions of the Federal 

7 Government. 

8 (2) Federal trade statutes, including section 

9 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 

10 1862), section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 

11 U.S.C. 2411), and potentially the International 

12 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 

13 et seq.), are being used aggressively to increase tar14 iffs on selected imports. 

15 (3) Foreign countries affected by such tariff in16 creases have, as of the date of the enactment of this 

17 Act, already raised tariffs on United States agricul18 tural exports or have indicated that they intend to 

19 respond by raising tariffs on such agricultural ex20 ports. 

21 (4) Increased tariffs on such agricultural ex22 ports threaten to cost United States agricultural 

23 producers global market share and reduce the in24 come of producers in affected commodities. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•S 1453 IS

1 (5) Farmers adversely impacted by the effects 

2 of increased tariffs on such agricultural exports de3 serve adjustment assistance. 

4 SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR RETALIATORY TAR5 IFF INCREASES. 

6 Section 292(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 

7 2401a(c)) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and 

9 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(2) either— 

12 ‘‘(A) the volume of imports of articles like, 

13 or directly competitive with, the agricultural 

14 commodity produced by the group in the mar15 keting year with respect to which the group 

16 files the petition increased compared to the av17 erage volume of such imports during the 3 mar18 keting years preceding such marketing year; or 

19 ‘‘(B)(i) the volume of exports of the agri20 cultural commodity produced by the group in 

21 the marketing year with respect to which the 

22 group files the petition decreased compared to 

23 the average volume of such exports during the 

24 3 marketing years preceding such marketing 

25 year; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•S 1453 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) the decrease in exports described in 

2 clause (i) resulted in whole or in part from du3 ties imposed on such exports by a foreign coun4 try in response to duties imposed by the United 

5 States on imports from such country pursuant 

6 to action taken under the authority of— 

7 ‘‘(I) section 232 of the Trade Expan8 sion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862); 

9 ‘‘(II) section 301 of this Act (19 

10 U.S.C. 2411); or 

11 ‘‘(III) the International Emergency 

12 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

13 seq.); and 

14 ‘‘(3) the increase in imports described in para15 graph (2)(A) or the decrease in exports described in 

16 paragraph (2)(B) contributed importantly to the de17 crease in the national average price, quantity of pro18 duction, or value of production of, or cash receipts 

19 for, the agricultural commodity, as described in 

20 paragraph (1).’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS