Assistance for Workers Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act

Bill: 115-hr-6395
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]
Introduced: 2018-07-17
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits

Tariffs

Trade adjustment assistance

Trade agreements and negotiations

Trade restrictions

Unemployment

War and emergency powers
Latest action: action_date: 2018-07-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-07-17
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Assistance for Workers Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act</b></p> <p>This bill provides financial assistance to workers harmed by retaliatory foreign tariffs by expanding the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program. The program currently provides assistance to workers adversely affected by competing imported goods and services. </p> <p>Under the bill, workers at firms that have seen a significant decrease in sales, production, or exports of goods or services, in whole or in part as a result of tariffs imposed by foreign countries in response to U.S. tariff increases, may petition the Department of Labor for trade adjustment assistance.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6395 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 17, 2018 Ms. DelBene (for herself, Mr. Kind , Mr. Thompson of California , and Ms. Sewell of Alabama ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment assistance to certain workers adversely affect by reduced exports resulting from tariffs imposed as retaliation for United States tariff increases, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Assistance for Workers Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) In recognition that trade policy can result in disparate and disruptive changes to the economy, the Trade Adjustment Assistance program was enacted to help workers adversely impacted by the trade policy decisions of the Federal Government. (2) The Trump Administration has made clear that it intends to aggressively use Federal trade statutes, including section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ( 19 U.S.C. 1862 ), section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2411 ), and potentially the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( Public Law 95–223 ), to increase tariffs on selected imports. (3) Foreign countries affected by such tariff increases have, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, already raised tariffs on United States exports or have indicated that they intend to respond by raising tariffs on such exports. (4) Increased tariffs on such exports threaten to reduce employment in affected sectors of the United States economy. (5) Workers adversely impacted by these effects deserve adjustment assistance. 3. Adjustment assistance for retaliatory tariff increases Section 222(a)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2272(a)(2) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking or at the end; (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (C) (i) the sales or production, or both, of such firm have decreased absolutely; (ii) exports of articles produced or services supplied by such firm have decreased; (iii) the decrease in exports described in clause (ii) resulted in whole or in part from tariffs imposed on such exports by a foreign country in response to United States tariffs imposed on imports from such country pursuant to an action taken under the authority of— (I) section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ( 19 U.S.C. 1862 ); (II) section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2411 ); or (III) the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( Public Law 95–223 ); and (iv) the decrease in exports described in clause (ii) contributed importantly to such workers’ separation or threat of separation and to the decline in the sales or production of such firm. .