nities afforded foreign exports in United States mar-
kets and to achieve fairer and more open conditions 
of trade in textiles and apparel. 
(c) CAPACITY BUILDING AND OTHER PRIORITIES.— 
In order to address and maintain United States competi-
tiveness in the global economy, the President shall— 
(1) direct the heads of relevant Federal agen-
cies— 
(A) to work to strengthen the capacity of 
United States trading partners to carry out ob-
ligations under trade agreements by consulting 
with any country seeking a trade agreement 
with the United States concerning that coun-
try’s laws relating to customs and trade facilita-
tion, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, 
technical barriers to trade, intellectual property 
rights, labor, and the environment; and 
(B) to provide technical assistance to that 
country if needed; 
(2) seek to establish consultative mechanisms 
among parties to trade agreements to strengthen the 
capacity of United States trading partners to de-
velop and implement standards for the protection of 
the environment and human health based on sound 
science; 
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(3) promote consideration of multilateral envi-
ronmental agreements and consult with parties to 
such agreements regarding the consistency of any 
such agreement that includes trade measures with 
existing environmental exceptions under Article XX 
of GATT 1994; and 
(4) submit to the Committee on Ways and 
Means of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Finance of the Senate an annual re-
port on capacity-building activities undertaken in 
connection with trade agreements negotiated or 
being negotiated pursuant to this Act. 
SEC. 3. TRADE AGREEMENTS AUTHORITY. 
(a) AGREEMENTS REGARDING TARIFF BARRIERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the President de-
termines that one or more existing duties or other 
import restrictions of any foreign country or the 
United States are unduly burdening and restricting 
the foreign trade of the United States and that the 
purposes, policies, priorities, and objectives of this 
Act will be promoted thereby, the President— 
(A) may enter into trade agreements with 
foreign countries before— 
(i) July 1, 2018; or 
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(ii) July 1, 2021, if trade authorities 
procedures are extended under subsection 
(c); and 
(B) may, subject to paragraphs (2) and 
(3), proclaim— 
(i) such modification or continuance 
of any existing duty, 
(ii) such continuance of existing duty 
free or excise treatment, or 
(iii) such additional duties, 
as the President determines to be required or 
appropriate to carry out any such trade agree-
ment. 
Substantial modifications to, or substantial addi-
tional provisions of, a trade agreement entered into 
after July 1, 2018, or July 1, 2021, if trade authori-
ties procedures are extended under subsection (c), 
shall not be eligible for approval under this Act. 
(2) NOTIFICATION.—The President shall notify 
Congress of the President’s intention to enter into 
an agreement under this subsection. 
(3) LIMITATIONS.—No proclamation may be 
made under paragraph (1) that— 
(A) reduces any rate of duty (other than a 
rate of duty that does not exceed 5 percent ad 
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valorem on the date of the enactment of this 
Act) to a rate of duty which is less than 50 per-
cent of the rate of such duty that applies on 
such date of enactment; 
(B) reduces the rate of duty below that ap-
plicable under the Uruguay Round Agreements 
or a successor agreement, on any import sen-
sitive agricultural product; or 
(C) increases any rate of duty above the 
rate that applied on the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(4) AGGREGATE REDUCTION; EXEMPTION FROM 
STAGING.— 
(A) AGGREGATE REDUCTION.—Except as 
provided in subparagraph (B), the aggregate re-
duction in the rate of duty on any article which 
is in effect on any day pursuant to a trade 
agreement entered into under paragraph (1) 
shall not exceed the aggregate reduction which 
would have been in effect on such day if— 
(i) a reduction of 3 percent ad valo-
rem or a reduction of 1⁄10 of the total re-
duction, whichever is greater, had taken ef-
fect on the effective date of the first reduc-
tion proclaimed under paragraph (1) to 
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