Ag Trade Talk

 

Lawmakers Urge Against Work Stoppage at West Coast Ports Time is running out for the union representing workers and their employers to negotiate new labor contracts at 29 West Coast ports by the time they expire on Friday and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are urging against work stoppages if talks are unsuccessful. In a letter sent last week to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), 21 House members expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached between the two organizations while keeping cargo moving through the ports. Consequences of stopping work at these ports would be severe and further disrupt current supply chain issues, as they ship many agricultural commodities around the globe. According to the PMA, the parties remain focused on and committed to reaching an agreement.

 

 

Biden May Lift Tariffs This Month The Biden administration is likely to lift a narrow set of tariffs on Chinese imports this month, according to Politico. While details are not public, officials familiar with the discussions indicated that the revised approach to the inherited Trump-era section 301 tariffs on China could involve multiple components; The administration could lift tariffs on a narrow set of consumer goods (e.g., bicycles) to ease inflationary pressures and respond to advocates for tariff removal; Open a new section 301 exclusion process, allowing stakeholders impacted to petition for tariff relief is also under consideration; and Initiate a new section 301 investigation around concerns with China’s subsidies of key competitive sectors, such as high-tech sectors (e.g., semiconductors and lithium batteries) that unfairly disadvantage foreign competition. A section 301 investigation could pave the way for new tariffs on such sectors in an effort to level the playing field for American firms to counter China’s subsidization practices. Several ingredients that are primarily sourced from China are currently experiencing section 301 tariffs. Lifting tariffs on such products where alternative sources either do not exist or are limited would ease the financial burden on the U.S. animal food industry to sourcing these inputs.

 

 

Lawmakers Call on Biden to Ease Tariffs on Trucking and Shipping Parts Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Kim Schrier, D-Wash., with four other House Democrats, are calling on President Biden to “ease U.S. tariffs on goods that impact shipping and transportation costs here in America.” In a letter, the lawmakers referenced “Sec. 301 tariffs as contributing to supply chain challenges for American businesses and driving up costs for American consumers.”