Assistance for Firms Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act
Bill: H.R.5289 | Sponsor: Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott (D-IL)
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance

Summary:
Assistance for Firms Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act
This bill expands the authority of the Department of Commerce to provide trade adjustment assistance (i.e., assistance provided to companies that are adversely affected by competing imported goods and services) to firms.
Specifically, Commerce may provide such assistance to a firm that has experienced a decrease in the export of the firm's articles or services as a result of tariffs imposed on such exports by a foreign country in response to U.S. tariffs imposed on the imports of that country. Such decrease must have contributed importantly to a decline in sales or production.
Under current law, Commerce may only provide such assistance to a firm upon a determination that increases of imports of articles or services like or directly competitive with the firm's articles or services contributed importantly to a decline in sales or production.

To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment assistance to 
  firms adversely affected by reduced exports resulting from tariffs 
  imposed as retaliation for United States tariff increases, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Assistance for Firms Harmed by 
Tariffs on Exports Act''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR FIRMS.

    Subparagraph (C) of section 251(c)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2341) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(C) either--
                    ``(i) increases of imports of articles or services 
                like or directly competitive with articles which are 
                produced or services which are supplied by such firm 
                contributed importantly to such total or partial 
                separation, or threat thereof, and to such decline in 
                sales or production; or
                    ``(ii)(I) exports of articles or services produced 
                or supplied by such firm have decreased as a result, in 
                whole or in part, from tariffs imposed on such exports 
                by a foreign country in response to United States 
                tariffs imposed on the imports of such country pursuant 
                to an action taken under the authority of--
                                    ``(aa) section 232 of the Trade 
                                Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862);
                                    ``(bb) section 301 of the Trade Act 
                                of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2411); or
                                    ``(cc) the International Emergency 
                                Economic Powers Act (Public Law 95-
                                223); and
                    ``(II) the decrease in such exports contributed 
                importantly to such total or partial separation, or 
                threat thereof, and to such decline in sales or 
                production.''.
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